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1913 


MYTHS  AND   LEGENDS 
OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 


SELECTED  AND  EDITED  BY 

KATHARINE  BERRY  JUDSON 

AUTHOR  OF  "MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  CALIFORNIA  AND  THE  OLD  SOUTHWEST,"  "MTTHS  AND 

LEGENDS  OF  THE  PACIFIC  NORTHWEST,"  "MONTANA,"  "MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

OF  ALASKA"  AND  "WHEN  THB  FORESTS  ARE  ABLAZE." 


ILLUSTRATED 


CHICAGO 
A.  C.  McCLURG  &  CO. 

1913 


Copyright 

A.  C.   McCLURG  &  CO. 
1913 

Published  November,  1913 


.  li  all  printing  (EnmpatHT 
(Chicago 


PREFACE 

FROM  the  edge  of  the  Darkening  Land,  where 
stand  the  mountains  which  encircle  the  earth- 
plain,  eastward  toward  the  Sunland,  lie  the  great 
plains  of  America.     Smooth  and  flat  and  green  they 
stretch  away,  hundreds  of  miles,  rising  from  a  dead 
level  into  a  soft  rolling  of  the  land,  then  into  the  long 
green  waves  of  the  prairies  where  rivers  flow,  where  the 
water  ripples  as  it  flows,  and  trees  shade  the  banks  of 
the  gleaming  water. 

Here,  amidst  the  vast  sweep  of  the  plains  which 
stretch  away  to  the  horizon  on  every  side,  boundless, 
limitless,  endless,  lived  the  plains  Indians.  Standing 
in  the  midst  of  this  vast  green  plain  on  a  soft  May 
morning,  after  the  Thunder  Gods  have  passed,  when 
the  sun  is  shining  in  the  soft  blue  above,  and  the 
sweet,  rain-swept  air  is  blown  about  by  the  Four 
Winds  which  are  always  near  to  man,  day  and  night, 
—  standing  far  out  on  the  plains  with  no  hint  of  the 
white  man  or  his  work  —  one  sees  the  earth  somewhat 
as  the  Indian  saw  it  and  wronders  not  at  his  reverence 
for  the  Mysterious  One  who  dwelt  overhead,  beyond 

281290 


PREFACE 

the  blue  stone  arch,  and  for  the  lesser  powers  which 
came  to  him  over  the  four  paths  guarded  by  the  Four 
Winds.  It  was  Wakoda,  the  Mysterious  One,  who 
gave  to  man  the  sunshine,  the  clear  rippling  water, 
the  clear  sky  from  which  all  storms,  all  clouds  are 
absent,  the  sky  which  is  the  symbol  of  peace.  Through 
this  sky  sweeps  the  eagle,  the  "  Mother "  of  Indian 
songs,  bearing  upon  her  strong  wings  the  message  of 
peace  and  calling  to  her  nestlings  as  she  flies.  Little 
wonder  that  to  some  tribes  song  was  an  integral  part  of 
their  lives,  and  that  emotions  too  deep  for  words  were 
expressed  in  song. 

Other  songs  there  were,  with  words,  songs  of  the 
birds  which  fly  through  that  soft,  tender  blue: 

All   around  the  birds  in  flocks  are  flying; 
Dipping,  rising,  circling,  see  them  coming. 
See,  many  birds  are  flocking  here, 
All  about  us  now  together  coming. 

[Pawnee] 

The  power  to  fly  has  always  inspired  Indians  of  all 
tribes  and  of  all  degrees  of  civilization  with  wonder  and 
reverence.  The  bird  chiefs  have  their  own  places  in 
Indian  myths.  Owl  is  chief  of  the  night;  Woodpecker, 
with  his  ceaseless  tattoo  on  the  trees,  is  chief  of  the  trees ; 
Duck  is  chief  of  the  water;  but  Eagle  is  chief  of  the 


PREFACE 

day.  It  is  always  Eagle  who  is  chief  of  the  birds,  even 
though  Wren  may  outwit  him  in  a  tale  told  by  the 
fire  glimmering  in  the  tepee,  when  the  story  tellers  of 
the  tribe  tell  of  the  happenings  in  the  days  "way 
beyond."  It  is  Eagle  who  inspires  admiration,  and 
becomes  the  most  sacred  bird. 

Round  about  a  tree  in  ever  widening  circles  an  eagle  flies,  alert, 

watching  o'er  his  nest; 
Loudly  whistles  he,  a  challenge  sending  far,  o'er  the  country  wide 

it  echoes,  there  defying  foes. 

[Pawnee] 

In  the  breeze  that  rippled  the  long  grass  of  the  prai 
rie  and  fluttered  the  flaps  of  the  graceful  tepee,  waved 
also  the  corn,  sent  by  Old-Woman-Who-Never-Dies, 
the  ever  returning  life  of  the  green  thing  growing,  f  In 
the  ravines  and  on  the  lower  slopes  of  the  grassy  waves 
of  the  prairie  bellowed  the  buffalo,  or  grazed  in  silence, 
having  long  since  come  up  from  the  underground 
world  and  become  the  source  of  the  Indian's  food, 
clothing,  home,  utensils,  and  comfort  Endless  were 
the  charms  and  enchantments  to  bring  the  buffalo  herds 
near  his  camping  ground.  Severe  was  the  punishment 
meted  out  to  the  thoughtless  warrior  whose  unguarded 
eagerness  frightened  the  herds  and  sent  them  away. 

Over  the  plains  and  prairies,  at  other  times,  swept 


PREFACE 

the  Thunder  Gods,  with  their  huge  jointed  wings, 
darkening  all  the  land,  and  flashing  fire  from  angry 
eyes  which  struck  down  man  and  beast.  Terrified  were 
the  Indians  when  the  Thunder  Gods  rolled.  Vows 
made  to  them  must  be  kept,  for  relentless  were  they. 
"Oh,  grandfather,"  prayed  the  Indian  when  the 
sky  was  black  and  the  lightning  flashed,  as  he  filled 
a  pipe  with  tobacco  and  offered  it  skyward,  "  Oh, 
grandfather!  I  am  very  poor.  Somewhere  make 
those  who  would  injure  me  leave  a  clear  space  for  me." 
Then  he  put  the  sacred  green  cedar  upon  the  fire  —  the 
cedar  which  stayed  awake  those  seven  nights  and  there 
fore  does  not  lose  its  hair  every  winter  —  and  the  smoke 
from  the  sacred,  burning  wood,  rolling  upward,  ap 
peased  the  rolling  Thunders. 

The  authorities  used  in  this  compilation  are  those 
found  in  the  annual  reports  of  the  Bureau  of  American 
Ethnology  and  the  Publications  of  the  United  States 
Geographical  and  Geological  Survey:  contributions  to 
North  American  Ethnology.  Of  the  various  ethnolo 
gists  whose  work  has  been  used,  those  of  especial  impor 
tance  are  Alice  C.  Fletcher,  whose  wonderful  work 
among  the  Omaha  and  Pawnee  Indians  is  deserving  of 
the  most  careful  study,  J.  Owen  Dorsey,  James  Mooney, 
and  S.  R.  Riggs. 


PREFACE 

No  claim  whatever  is  made  for  original  work.  In 
deed,  original  work  of  any  kind  in  a  compilation  such 
as  this  would  impair  the  authenticity  of  the  myths,  and 
therefore  destroy  the  value  of  this  work.  Nor  has  any 
effort  been  made  towards  "  style."  The  only  style 
worth  having  in  telling  an  Indian  legend  is  that  of  the 
Indian  himself. 

K.  B.  J. 

Seattle,  Washington. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

PAGB 

The   Creation Osage 19 

How  the  World  was  Made       .       .       .     Cherokee 22 

The  Flood  and  the  Rainbow       .       .       .  Lenni-Lenapi  (Delaware)   .  26 

The  First  Fire Cherokee 28 

The    Ancestors    of    People       .       .       .     Osage 31 

Origin  of  Strawberries       ....     Cherokee 32 

Sacred   Legend Omaha 34 

The  Legend  of  the  Peace  Pipes       .       .     Omaha 38 

A  Tradition  of  the  Calumet       .       .       .  Lenni-Lenapi  (Delaware)   .  41 

The     Sacred     Pole Omaha 43 

Ikto  and  the  Thunders       ....     Teton 46 

The  Thunder  Bird ^omanche 47 

The  Thunder  Bird Assiniboin 48 

Song  to  the  Thunder  Gods       .       .       .     Omaha 49 

'bongs  of  the  Buffalo  Hunt       .       .       .     Sioux 50 

Origin    of   the   Buffalo       ....     Teton 53 

The  Buffalo-Being Teton 55 

The     Youth     and      the     Underground 

People Omaha 57 

The  Buffalo  and  the  Grizzly  Bear       .     Omaha 68 

My  First  Buffalo  Hunt       ....     Omaha 71 

Bird  Omens Sioux 73 

The  Bird  Chief Omaha 74 

Song  of   the   Birds Pawnee 75 

Song  of  Kawas,   the  Eagle       .       .       .     Pawnee 77 

The    Eagle's    Revenge        ....      Cherokee 78 

The  Race  between  Humming  Bird  and 

Crane                                      .  Cherokee  80 


W.'V    ; 

TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

Rabbit  and  the  Turkeys       ....     Omaha 82 

Unktomi  and  the  Bad  Songs       .       .       .     Dakota 84 

How  the  Pheasant  Beat  Corn    .       .       .     Cherokee 88 

Why    Turkey    Gobbles       ....      Cherokee 89 

Omaha  Beliefs Omaha 90 

Pawnee  Beliefs Pawnee 92 

A  Song  of   Hospitality       .       .       .       .Sioux 95 

A  Song  of  the  March       ....     Sioux 96 

Song  of  the  Prairie  Breeze       .       .       .     Kiowa 97 

Old-Woman-Who-Never-Dies  .       .        .     Mandan 98 

Legend  of  the  Corn Ankara 101 

Tradition  of  the  Finding  of  Horses       .     Ponca 105 

Dakota  Beliefs  and  Customs       .       .       .     Dakota 108 

Why  the  Tetons  Bury  on  Scaffolds  .       .     Teton no 

The  Ghost's  Resentment      ....     Dakota in 

The  Forked  Roads Omaha 116 

Tattooed  Ghosts Dakota 117 

A  Ghost  Story Ponca 118 

The  Ghost  and  the  Traveler       .       .       .     Teton 119 

The  Man  who  Shot  a  Ghost       .       .       .     Teton I2O 

The  Indian  Who  Wrestled  with  a  Ghost     Teton 122 

The  Wakanda,   or  Water-God       .       .     Yank  ton 126 

The  Spirit  Land Arapahoe 129 

Waziya,  the  Weather  Spirit       .       .       .     Teton 131 

Kansas  Blizzards Kansa  .     • 132 

Ikto  and  the  Snowstorm       ....     Teton 133 

The  Southern  Bride Cherokee 135 

Fallen-Star Dakota 136 

Quarrel  of  Sun  and  Moon       .       .       .     Omaha 147 

Why  the  Possum  Plays  Dead       .       .       .     Cherokee 148 

Bog  Myth Dakota 150 

Coyote    and    Snake Omaha 151 

Why  the  Wolves  Help  in  War       .       .     Dakota 153 

How  Rabbit  Escaped  from  the  Wolves    .     Cherokee 155 

How  Rabbit  Lost  His  Fat  .       .       .       .  Omaha       .....  157 

How   Flint   Visited   Rabbit       .       .       .     Cherokee 158 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

How  Rabbit  Caught  the  Sun  in  a  Trap    .  Omaha 161 

How  Rabbit  Killed  the  Giant    .       .       .  Omaha 163 

How  Deer  Got  His  Horns       .       .       .  Cherokee 167 

Why  the  Deer  has  Blunt  Teeth       .       .  Cherokee 169 

Legend  of  the  Head  of  Gold       .       .       .  Dakota 171 

The  Milky  Way Cherokee 175 

Coyote   and   Gray   Fox       ....  Ponca 176 

Ictinike  and  Turtle Omaha 178 

Ictinike  and  the  Creators      ....  Omaha 181 

How   Big  Turtle   Went   on   the   War 

Path                          Omaha       .  186 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

Bianki's  Vision Frontispiece 

Woman's  Costume 32 

An  Elderly  Omaha  Beau 33 

Tattooing,  Showing  Conventional  Design  of  the  Peace  Pipe      ...  42 

Bull   Boat 43 

German  Knights  and  Indian  Warriors 56 

Rivalry  over  the  Buffalo 70 

Capture  of  a  Wandering  Buffalo 71 

Five  Chiefs  of  the  Ogalla  Sioux 84 

Old  Horse 85 

Siouan  Tents 96 

An  Arapahoe  Bed 97 

Indian  Scaffold  Cemetery  on  the  Missouri  River no 

An  Omaha  Village,  Showing  Earth  Lodge  and  Conical  Tepees       .       .  in 

Black  Coyote 122 

Ornamentation  on  the  Reverse  of  an  Arapahoe  "  ghost-dance  "  Shirt      .  123 

"  Killed  two  Arikara  chiefs  " 132 

Many  Tongues,  or  Loud  Talker 133 

Petroglyph  in  Nebraska 144 

Plains  Indians  Dragging  Brush  for  a  Medicine  Lodge 156 

An  Earth  Lodge 157 

Kansa  Chief 168 

Big  Goose 169 

Omaha  Assault  on  a  Dakota  Village 186 

"  Killed  ten  men  and  three  women  " 187 


MYTHS  AND   LEGENDS 
OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 
OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

THE  CREATION 

Osage  (Wazhd  zhe  group) 

WAY  beyond,  once  upon  a  time,  some  of  the 
Osages  lived  in  the  sky.    They  did  not  know 
where  they  came  from,  so  they  went  to  Sun. 
They  said,  "  From  where  did  we  come?  " 
He  said,  "  You  are  my  children." 
Then  they  wandered  still  further  and  came  to  Moon. 
Moon  said,  "  I  am  your  mother;  Sun  is  your  father. 
You  must  go  away  from  here.    You  must  go  down  to 
the  earth  and  live  there." 

So  they  came  to  the  earth  but  found  it  covered  with 
water.  They  could  not  return  up  above.  They  wept, 
but  no  answer  came  to  them.  They  floated  about  in  the 
air,  seeking  help  from  some  god;  but  they  found  none. 
Now  all  the  animals  were  with  them.  Elk  was  the 
finest  and  most  stately.  They  all  trusted  Elk.  So  they 
called  to  Elk,  "  Help  us." 

19 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

Then  Elk  dropped  into  the  water  and  began  to  sink. 
Then  he  called  to  the  winds.  The  winds  came  from  all 
sides  and  they  blew  until  the  waters  went  upwards,  as 
in  a  mist.  Now  before  that  the  winds  had  traveled  in 
only  two  directions;  they  went  from  north  to  south  and 
from  south  to  north.  But  when  Elk  called  to  them, 
they  came  from  the  east,  from  the  north,  from  the  west, 
and  from  the  south.  They  met  at  a  central  place;  then 
they  carried  the  waters  upwards. 

Now  at  first  the  people  could  see  only  the  rocks. 
So  they  traveled  on  the  rocky  places.  But  nothing 
grew  there  and  there  was  nothing  to  eat.  Then  the 
waters  continued  to  vanish.  At  last  the  people  could 
see  the  soft  earth.  When  Elk  saw  the  earth,  he  was  so 
joyous,  he  rolled  over  and  over  on  the  earth.  Then  all 
the  loose  hairs  clung  to  the  soil.  So  the  hairs  grew,  and 
from  them  sprang  beans,  corn,  potatoes,  and  wild  tur 
nips,  and  at  last  all  the  grasses  and  trees. 

Now  the  people  wandered  over  the  land.  They 
found  human  footsteps.  They  followed  them.  They 
joined  with  them,  and  traveled  with  them  in  search  of 

food. 

|  (Hoga  group) 

The  Hoga  came  down  from  above,  and  found  the 
earth  covered  with  water.  They  flew  in  every  direc 
tion.  They  sought  for  gods  who  would  help  them 

20 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

and  drive  the  water  away.  They  found  not  one.  Then 
Elk  came.  He  had  a  loud  voice  and  he  shouted  to  the 
four  corners  of  the  sky.  The  four  winds  came  in 
answer.  They  blew  upon  the  water  and  it  vanished 
upwards,  in  a  mist.  Then  the  people  could  see  the 
rocks.  Now  there  was  only  a  little  space  on  the  rocks. 
They  knew  they  must  have  more  room.  (The  people 
were  crowded.  So  they  sent  Muskrat  down  into  the 
water.  He  did  not  come  back.  He  was  drowned. 
Then  they  sent  Loon  down.  He  did  not  come  back. 
He  was  drowned.  Then  they  sent  Beaver  down  into 
the  water.  The  water  was  too  deep.  Beaver  was 
drowned.  Then  Crawfish  dived  into  the  water.  He 
was  gone  a  long  time.  When  he  came  up  there  was  a 
little  mud  in  his  claws.  Crawfish  was  so  tired  he  died. 
But  the  people  took  the  mud  out  of  his  claws  and  made 
the  land. 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


HOW  THE  WORLD  WAS  MADE 

Cherokee 

THE  earth  is  a  great  floating  island  in  a  sea  of 
water.    At  each  of  the  four  corners  there  is  a 
cord  hanging  down  from  the  sky.    The  sky  is 
of  solid  rock.    When  the  world  grows  old  and  worn 
out,  the  cords  will  break,  and  then  the  earth  will  sink 
down  into  the  ocean.    Everything  will  be  water  again. 
All  the  people  will  be  dead.    The  Indians  are  much 
afraid  of  this. 

In  the  long  time  ago,  when  everything  was  all  water, 
all  the  animals  lived  up  above  in  Galun'lati,  beyond  the 
stone  arch  that  made  the  sky.  But  it  was  very  much 
crowded.  All  the  animals  wanted  more  room.  The 
animals  began  to  wonder  what  was  below  the  water 
and  at  last  Beaver's  grandchild,  little  Water  Beetle, 
offered  to  go  and  find  out.  Water  Beetle  darted  in 
every  direction  over  the  surface  of  the  water,  but  it 
could  find  no  place  to  rest.  There  was  no  land  at  all. 
Then  Water  Beetle  dived  to  the  bottom  of  the  water 
and  brought  up  some  soft  mud.  This  began  to  grow 
and  to  spread  out  on  every  side  until  it  became  the 

22 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

island  which  we  call  the  earth.  Afterwards  this  earth 
was  fastened  to  the  sky  with  four  cords,  but  no  one 
remembers  who  did  this. 

At  first  the  earth  was  flat  and  soft  and  wet.  The 
animals  were  anxious  to  get  down,  and  they  sent  out 
different  birds  to  see  if  it  was  yet  dry,  but  there  was 
no  place  to  alight;  so  the  birds  came  back  to  Galun'lati. 
Then  at  last  it  seemed  to  be  time  again,  so  they  sent  out 
Buzzard ;  they  told  him  to  go  and  make  ready  for  them. 
This  was  the  Great  Buzzard,  the  father  of  all  the 
buzzards  we  see  now.  He  flew  all  over  the  earth,  low 
"down  near  the  ground,  and  it  was  still  soft.  When  he 
reached  the  Cherokee  country,  he  was  very  tired;  his 
wings  began  to  flap  and  strike  the  ground.  Wherever 
they  struck  the  earth  there  was  a  valley;  whenever  the 
wings  turned  upwards  again,  there  was  a  mountain. 
When  the  animals  above  saw  this,  they  were  afraid 
that  the  whole  world  would  be  mountains,  so  they 
called  him  back,  but  the  Cherokee  country  remains  full 
of  mountains  to  this  day.  [This  was  the  original  home, 
in  North  Carolina.] 

When  the  earth  was  dry  and  the  animals  came  down, 
it  was  still  dark.  Therefore  they  got  the  sun  and  set  it 
in  a  track  to  go  every  day  across  the  island  from  east 
to  west,  just  overhead.  It  was  too  hot  this  way.  Red 
Crawfish  had  his  shell  scorched  a  bright  red,  so  that 

23 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

his  meat  was  spoiled.  Therefore  the  Cherokees  do  not 
eat  it. 

Then  the  medicine  men  raised  the  sun  a  hands- 
breadth  in  the  air,  but  it  was  still  too  hot.  They  raised 
it  another  time;  and  then  another  time;  at  last  they  had 
raised  it  seven  handsbreadths  so  that  it  was  just  under 
the  sky  arch.  Then  it  was  right  and  they  left  it  so. 
That  is  why  the  medicine  men  called  the  high  place 
"  the  seventh  height."  Every  day  the  sun  goes  along 
under  this  arch  on  the  under  side;  it  returns  at  night 
on  the  upper  side  of  the  arch  to  its  starting  place. 

There  is  another  world  under  this  earth.  It  is  like 
this  one  in  every  way.  The  animals,  the  plants,  and 
the  people  are  the  same,  but  the  seasons  are  different. 
The  streams  that  come  down  from  the  mountains  are 
the  trails  by  which  we  reach  this  underworld.  The 
springs  at  their  head  are  the  doorways  by  which  we 
enter  it.  But  in  order  to  enter  the  other  world,  one 
must  fast  and  then  go  to  the  water,  and  have  one  of  the 
underground  people  for  a  guide.  We  know  that  the 
seasons  in  the  underground  world  are  different,  because 
the  water  in  the  spring  is  always  warmer  in  winter 
than  the  air  in  this  world;  and  in  summer  the  water  is 
cooler. 

We  do  not  know  who  made  the  first  plants  and  ani 
mals.  But  when  they  were  first  made,  they  were  told 

24 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

to  watch  and  keep  awake  for  seven  nights.  This  is  the 
way  young  men  do  now  when  they  fast  and  pray  to 
their  medicine.  They  tried  to  do  this.  The  first  night, 
nearly  all  the  animals  stayed  awake.  The  next  night 
several  of  them  dropped  asleep.  The  third  night  still 
more  went  to  sleep.  At  last,  on  the  seventh  night,  only 
the  owl,  the  panther,  and  one  or  two  more  were  still 
awake.  Therefore,  to  these  were  given  the  power  to  see 
in  the  dark,  to  go  about  as  if  it  were  day,  and  to  kill  and 
eat  the  birds  and  animals  which  must  sleep  during  the 
night. 

Even  some  of  the  trees  went  to  sleep.  Only  the  cedar, 
the  pine,  the  spruce,  the  holly,  and  the  laurel  were 
awake  all  seven  nights.  Therefore  they  are  always 
green.  They  are  also  sacred  trees.  But  to  the  other 
trees  it  was  said,  "  Because  you  did  not  stay  awake, 
therefore  you  shall  lose  your  hair  every  winter." 

After  the  plants  and  the  animals,  men  began  to  come 
to  the  earth.  At  first  there  was  only  one  man  and  one 
woman.  He  hit  her  with  a  fish.  In  seven  days  a  little 
child  came  down  to  the  earth.  So  people  came  to  the 
earth.  They  came  so  rapidly  that  for  a  time  it  seemed 
as  though  the  earth  could  not  hold  them  all. 


25 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


THE  FLOOD  AND  THE  RAINBOW 

Delaware  (Lenni-Lenapi) 

THE  Lenni-Lenapi  are  the  First  People,  so  that 
they  know  this  story  is  true. 
After  the  Creation  of  the  earth,  the  Mysteri 
ous  One  covered  it  with  a  blue  roof.  Sometimes  the  roof 
was  very  black.    Then  the  Manitou  of  Waters  became 
uneasy.    He  feared  the  rain  would  no  longer  be  able  to 
pour  down  upon  the  earth  through  this  dark  roof. 
Therefore    the    Manitou   of   Waters    prayed    to   the 
Mysterious  One  that  the  waters  from  above  be  not 
cut  off. 

At  once  the  Mysterious  One  commanded  to  blow  the 
Spirit  of  the  Wind,  who  dwells  in  the  Darkening  Land. 
At  once  thick  clouds  arose.  They  covered  all  the  earth, 
so  that  the  dark  roof  could  no  longer  be  seen. 

Then  the  voice  of  the  Mysterious  One  was  heard 
amongst  the  clouds.  The  voice  was  deep  and  heavy, 
like  the  sound  of  falling  rivers. 

Then  the  Spirit  of  Rain,  the  brother  of  the  Spirit 
of  Waters  and  the  Spirit  of  the  Winds,  poured  down 
water  from  above.  The  waters  fell  for  a  long  time. 

26 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

They  fell  until  all  the  earth  was  covered.  Then  the 
birds  took  refuge  in  the  branches  of  the  highest  trees. 
The  animals  followed  the  trails  to  the  mountain  peaks. 

Then  the  Manitou  of  Waters  feared  no  longer. 
Therefore  the  Mysterious  One  ordered  the  rain  to  cease 
and  the  clouds  to  disappear.  Then  Sin-go-wi-chi-na-xa, 
the  rainbow,  was  seen  in  the  sky. 

Therefore  the  Lenni-Lenapi  watch  for  the  rainbow, 
because  it  means  that  the  Mysterious  One  is  no  longer 
angry. 


27 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


THE  FIRST  FIRE 

Cherokee 

IN  the  beginning  there  was  no  fire  and  the  world 
was  cold.  Then  the  Thunders,  who  lived  up  in 
Galun'lati,  sent  their  lightning  and  put  fire  into 
the  bottom  of  a  hollow  sycamore  tree  which  grew  on  an 
island.  The  animals  knew  it  was  there  because  they 
could  see  the  smoke  coming  out  at  the  top,  but  they 
could  not  get  to  it  on  account  of  the  water,  so  they  held 
a  council  to  decide  what  to  do.  This  was  a  long,  long 
time  ago. 

Every  animal  was  anxious  to  go  after  the  fire. 
Raven  offered.  He  was  large  and  strong,  so  he  was 
sent  first.  He  flew  high  and  far  across  the  water,  and 
lighted  on  the  sycamore  tree.  There  he  perched, 
wondering  what  to  do  next.  Then  he  looked  at  him 
self.  The  heat  had  scorched  his  feathers  black.  Raven 
was  so  frightened  he  flew  back  across  the  water  with 
out  any  fire. 

Then  little  Wa-hu-hu,  the  Screech  Owl,  offered  to 
go.  He  flew  high  and  far  across  the  water  and  perched 

28 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

upon  a  hollow  tree.  As  he  sat  there  looking  into  the 
hollow  tree,  wondering  what  to  do,  a  blast  of  hot  air 
came  up  and  hurt  his  eyes.  Screech  Owl  was  fright- 
ened.  He  flew  back  as  best  he  could,  because  he  could 
hardly  see.  That  is  why  his  eyes  are  red  even  to  this 
day. 

Then  Hooting  Owl  and  the  Horned  Owl  went,  but 
by  the  time  they  reached  the  hollow  tree,  the  fire  was 
blazing  so  fiercely  that  the  smoke  nearly  blinded  them. 
The  ashes  carried  up  by  the  breeze  made  white  rings 
around  their  eyes.  So  they  had  to  come  home  without 
fire.  Therefore  they  have  white  rings  around  their 
eyes. 

None  of  the  rest  of  the  birds  would  go  to  the  fire. 
Then  Uk-su-hi,  the  racer  snake,  said  he  would  go 
through  the  water  and  bring  back  fire.  He  swam  to 
the  island  and  crawled  through  the  grass  to  the  tree. 
Then  he  went  into  the  tree  by  a  small  hole  at  the  bot 
tom.  But  the  heat  and  smoke  were  dreadful.  The 
ground  at  the  bottom  of  the  tree  was  covered  with  hot 
ashes.  The  racer  darted  back  and  forth  trying  to  get 
off  the  ashes,  and  at  last  managed  to  escape  through  the 
same  hole  by  which  he  had  entered.  But  his  body  had 
been  burned  black.  Therefore  he  is  now  the  black 
racer.  And  that  is  why  the  black  racer  darts  around 
and  doubles  on  his  track  as  if  trying  to  escape. 

29 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

Then  great  Blacksnake,  "  The  Climber,"  offered  to 
go  for  fire.  He  was  much  larger  than  the  black  racer. 
Blacksnake  swam  over  to  the  island  and  climbed  up  the 
tree  on  the  outside,  as  the  blacksnake  always  does,  but 
when  he  put  his  head  down  into  the  hole  the  smoke 
choked  him  so  that  he  fell  into  the  burning  stump. 
Before  he  could  climb  out,  he,  too,  was  burned  black. 

So  the  birds,  and  the  animals,  and  the  snakes  held 
another  council.  The  world  was  still  very  cold.  There 
was  no  fire.  But  all  the  birds,  and  the  snakes,  and  all 
the  four-footed  animals  refused  to  go  for  fire.  They 
were  all  afraid  of  the  burning  sycamore. 

Then  Water  Spider  said  she  would  go.  This  is  not 
the  water  spider  that  looks  like  a  mosquito,  but  the 
other  one  —  the  one  with  black  downy  hair  and  red 
stripes  on  her  body.  She  could  run  on  top  of  the  water, 
or  dive  to  the  bottom. 

The  animals  said,  "  How  can  you  bring  back  fire?  " 

But  Water  Spider  spun  a  thread  from  her  body  and 
wove  it  into  a  tusti  bowl  which  she  fastened  on  her  back. 
Then  she  swam  over  to  the  island  and  through  the  grass 
to  the  fire.  Water  Spider  put  one  little  coal  of  fire  into 
her  bowl,  and  then  swam  back  with  it. 

That  is  how  fire  came  to  the  world.  And  that  ii 
why  Water  Spider  has  a  tusti  bowl  on  her  back. 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 


THE  ANCESTORS  OF  PEOPLE 

'Osage 

THERE  are  people  who  come  from  under  the 
water.     They  lived  in  the  water  weeds  that 
hang  down,  all  green,  into  the  water.    They 
have  leaves  upon  their  stems.    Now  the  water  people 
lived  in  shells.    The  shells  were  their  houses  and  kept 
the  water  out. 

There  were  other  animals  who  lived  under  the  earth. 
Cougar  lived  under  the  earth,  and  bear,  and  buffalo. 
These  creatures  came  up  out  of  the  ground.  Then  the 
shell  people  came  up  to  the  earth  also;  and  the  sky 
people  came  down.  So  all  these  three  peoples  lived 
together.  They  are  the  fathers  of  the  people  who  live 
on  the  earth  today. 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


ORIGIN  OF  STRAWBERRIES 

Cherokee 

WHEN  the  world  was  new,  there  was  one  man 
and   one   woman.    They  were   happy;    then 
they  quarreled.     At  last  the  woman  left  the 
man  and  began  to  walk  away  toward  the  Sunland, 
the  Eastland.    The  man  followed.     He  felt  sorry,  but 
the  woman  walked  straight  on.    She  did  not  look  back. 

Then  Sun,  the  great  Apportioner,  was  sorry  for  the 
man.  He  said, 

"Are  you  still  angry  with  your  wife?" 

The  man  said,  "  No." 

Sun  said,  "  Would  you  like  to  have  her  come  back 
to  you?" 

"  Yes,"  said  the  man. 

So  Sun  made  a  great  patch  of  huckleberries  which 
he  placed  in  front  of  the  woman's  trail.  She  passed 
them  without  paying  any  attention  to  them.  Then  Sun 
made  a  clump  of  blackberry  bushes  and  put  those  in 
front  of  her  trail.  The  woman  walked  on.  Then  Sun 
created  beautiful  service-berry  bushes  which  stood 
beside  the  trail.  Still  the  woman  walked  on. 

32 


Courtesy   of   flic   Smithsonian   Institution 

AVOMANJS   COSTUME 
(Omaha) 


Courtesy   of  the  Smithsonian  Institution 

AN    ELDERLY     OMAHA    BEAU 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

So  Sun  made  other  fruits  and  berries.  But  the 
woman  did  not  look  at  them. 

Then  Sun  created  a  patch  of  beautiful  ripe  straw 
berries.  They  were  the  first  strawberries.  When  the 
woman  saw  those,  she  stopped  to  gather  a  few.  As 
she  gathered  them,  she  turned  her  face  toward  the  west. 
Then  she  remembered  the  man.  She  turned  to  the 
Sunland  but  could  not  go  on.  She  could  not  go  any 
further. 

Then  the  woman  picked  some  of  the  strawberries  and 
started  back  on  her  trail,  away  from  the  Sunland.  So 
her  husband  met  her,  and  they  went  back  together. 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


SACRED  LEGEND 

Omaha 

IN  the  beginning  the  people  were  in  water.  They 
opened  their  eyes,  but  they  could  see  nothing.  As 
the  people  came  out  of  the  water,  they  first  saw  the 
daylight.  They  had  no  clothing.  Then  they  took 
weeds  and  grasses  and  from  them  wove  clothing. 

The  people  lived  near  a  large  body  of  water;  it  was 
in  a  wooded  country  where  there  was  game.  The  men 
hunted  the  deer  with  clubs;  they  did  not  know  the  use 
of  the  bow.  The  people  wandered  about  the  shores  of 
the  great  water.  They  were  poor  and  cold.  The 
people  thought,  "  What  shall  we  do  to  help  ourselves?  " 
So  they  began  chipping  stones.  They  found  a  bluish 
stone  that  was  easily  flaked  and  chipped;  so  they  made 
knives  and  arrowheads  out  of  it.  But  they  were  still 
poor  and  cold.  They  thought,  "  What  shall  we  do?  " 

Then  a  man  found  an  elm  root  that  was  very  dry. 
He  dug  a  hole  in  it  and  put  a  stick  in  and  rubbed  it. 
Then  smoke  came.  He  smelled  it.  Then  the  people 
smelled  it  and  came  near.  Others  helped  him  to  rub. 
At  last  a  spark  came.  They  blew  this  into  a  flame. 

34 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

Thus  fire  came  to  warm  the  people  and  to  cook  their 
food. 

After  this  the  people  built  grass  houses ;  they  cut  the 
grass  with  the  shoulder  blade  of  a  deer.  Now  the  peo 
ple  had  fire  and  ate  their  meat  roasted.  Then  they 
grew  tired  of  roast  meat.  They  thought,  "  How  shall 
we  cook  our  meat  differently?  " 

A  man  found  a  piece  of  clay  that  stuck  well  together. 
Then  he  brought  sand  to  mix  with  it.  Then  he  molded 
it  as  a  pot.  Then  he  gathered  grass  until  he  had  a  large 
heap  of  it;  he  put  the  clay  pot  into  the  midst  of  the 
grass  and  set  it  on  fire.  This  made  the  clay  hard. 
After  a  time  he  put  water  into  the  pot;  the  water  did 
not  leak  out.  This  was  good.  So  he  put  water  into 
it  and  then  meat  into  it,  and  put  the  pot  over  the  fire. 
Thus  the  people  had  boiled  meat  to  eat. 

Now  their  grass  coverings  would  grow  fuzzy  and 
drop  off.  It  was  hard  to  gather  and  keep  these  cover 
ings.  The  people  were  not  satisfied.  Again  they 
thought,  "  What  can  we  do  to  have  something  different 
to  wear?  " 

Before  this,  they  had  been  throwing  away  the  hides 
from  the  game  which  they  killed  But  now  they  took 
their  stone  knives  to  scrape  down  the  hides  and  make 
them  thin.  They  rubbed  the  hides  with  grass  and  with 
their  hands  to  make  them  soft.  Then  they  used  the 

35 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

hides  for  clothing.  Now  they  had  clothing  and  were 
warm. 

Now  the  women  had  to  break  the  dry  wood  to  keep 
up  the  fires.  They  had  no  tools.  So  the  men  made  a 
stone  ax  with  a  groove.  Then  they  put  a  handle  on  the 
grooved  stone  and  fastened  it  with  rawhide.  This  was 
used.  Then  they  wanted  something  better  to  break 
the  wood.  So  they  made  wedges  of  stone. 

Now  the  grass  shelter  came  to  pieces  easily.  Then 
the  people  thought,  "What  shall  we  do?  How  can 
we  get  something  that  will  not  come  to  pieces?  "  Then 
they  tried  putting  skins  on  poles. 

First  they  tried  deerskins.  But  they  were  too  small. 
They  tried  elk  skins.  But  they  became  hard  and  stiff 
in  the  rain  and  sun.  Then  they  did  not  try  skins  longer. 
They  used  bark  to  cover  the  poles  of  their  tepees. 

But  the  bark  houses  were  not  warm.  Then  the  people 
took  the  leg  bone  of  the  deer  and  splintered  it.  So  they 
made  sharp  pieces  for  awls.  Then  they  took  buffalo 
skins  and  sinews,  and  with  the  awl  they  fastened  the 
skins  together.  So  they  made  comfortable  covers  for 
their  tepees. 

Then  a  man  wandered  around  a  long  time.  One  day 
he  found  some  small  pieces  of  something  which  were 
white,  and  red,  and  blue.  He  thought  they  must  be 
something  of  great  value,  so  he  hid  them  in  a  mound  of 

36 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

earth.  Now  one  day  he  went  to  see  if  they  were  safe. 
Behold  1  When  he  came  to  the  mound,  green  stalks 
were  growing  out  of  it.  And  on  the  stalks  were  small 
kernels  of  white,  and  red,  and  blue.  Behold  1  It  was 
corn.  Then  the  man  took  the  corn,  and  gave  it  to  the 
people.  They  tried  it  for  food.  They  found  it  good, 
and  have  ever  since  called  it  their  life. 

Now  when  the  people  found  the  corn  good,  they 
thought  to  hide  it  in  mounds  as  the  first  man  had  done. 
So  they  took  the  shoulder  blade  of  an  elk  and  made 
mounds.  Then  they  hid  the  corn  in  it.  So  the  corn 
grew  and  the  people  had  food. 

Now  as  the  people  wandered  around,  they  came  to 
a  forest  where  the  birch  trees  grew.  There  was  a  great 
lake  there.  Then  they  made  canoes  of  birch  bark. 
They  traveled  in  them  on  the  water.  Then  a  man 
found  two  young  animals.  He  carried  them  home. 
He  fed  them  so  they  grew  bigger.  Then  he  made  a 
harness  which  he  placed  upon  them  and  fastened  it  to 
poles.  So  these  animals  became  burden  bearers.  Be 
fore  that,  every  burden  had  to  be  carried  on  the  back. 
Now  the  dogs  helped  the  people. 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


THE  LEGEND  OF  THE  PEACE  PIPES 

Omaha 

THE  people  came  across  a  great  water  on  logs 
tied  together.    They  pitched  their  tents  on  the 
shore.    Then  they  thought  to  make  for  them 
selves  certain  bounds  within  which  they  were  to  live 
and  rules  which  should  govern  them.    They  cleared  a 
space  of  grass  and  weeds  so  they  could  see  each  other's 
faces.     They  sat  down  and  there  was  no  obstruction 
between  them. 

While  they  were  holding  a  council,  an  owl  hooted 
in  the  trees  near  by.  The  leader  said,  "  That  bird  is 
to  take  part  in  our  council.  He  calls  to  us.  He  offers 
us  his  aid." 

Immediately  afterward  they  heard  a  woodpecker. 
He  knocked  against  the  trees.  The  leader  said,  "  That 
bird  calls  to  us.  He  offers  us  his  aid.  He  will  take 
part  in  our  council." 

Then  the  chief  appointed  a  man  as  servant.  He  said, 
"  Go  into  the  woods  and  get  an  ash  sapling."  The 
servant  came  back  with  a  sapling  having  a  rough 
bark. 

38 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

"  We  do  not  want  that,"  said  the  leader.  "  Go  again 
and  get  a  sapling  with  a  smooth  bark,  bluish  in  color 
at  the  joint  where  a  branch  comes."  So  the  servant 
went  out,  and  came  back  with  a  sapling  of  the  kind 
described. 

When  the  leader  took  up  the  sapling,  an  eagle  came 
and  soared  about  the  council  which  was  sitting  in  the 
grass.  He  dropped  a  downy  feather;  it  fell.  It  fell 
in  the  center  of  the  cleared  space.  Now  this  was  the 
white  eagle.  The  chief  said,  "  This  is  not  what  we 
want,"  so  the  white  eagle  passed  on. 

Then  the  bald  eagle  came  swooping  down,  as 
though  attacking  its  prey.  It  balanced  itself  on  its 
wings  directly  over  the  cleared  space.  It  uttered  fierce 
cries,  and  dropped  one  of  its  downy  feathers,  which 
stood  on  the  ground  as  the  other  eagle's  feather  had 
done.  The  chief  said,  "  This  is  not  what  we  want."  So 
the  bald  eagle  passed  on. 

Then  came  the  spotted  eagle,  and  soared  over  the 
council,  and  dropped  its  feather  as  the  others  had  done. 
The  chief  said,  "  This  is  not  what  we  want,"  and  the 
spotted  eagle  passed  on. 

Then  the  imperial  eagle,  the  eagle  with  the  fantail, 
came,  and  soared  over  the  people.  It  dropped  a  downy 
feather  which  stood  upright  in  the  center  of  the  cleared 
space.  The  chief  said,  "  This  is  what  we  want." 

39 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

So  the  feathers  of  this  eagle  were  used  in  making 
the  peace  pipes,  together  with  the  feathers  of  the  owl 
and  woodpecker,  and  with  other  things.  These  peace 
pipes  were  to  be  used  in  forming  friendly  relations 
with  other  tribes. 

When  the  peace  pipes  were  made,  seven  other  pipes 
were  made  for  keeping  peace  within  the  tribe.  One 
pipe  was  to  prevent  revenge.  If  one  man  should  kill 
another,  the  chief  took  this  pipe  to  the  relatives  and 
offered  it  to  them.  If  the  relatives  of  the  dead  man 
refused  to  accept  it,  it  was  offered  again.  It  was  offered 
four  times.  If  it  was  refused  four  times,  the  chief  said, 
"  Well,  you  must  take  the  consequences.  We  will  do 
nothing,  and  you  cannot  now  ask  to  see  the  pipes."  He 
meant  if  they  took  revenge  and  any  trouble  came  to 
them,  they  could  not  ask  for  help  or  for  mercy. 

Each  band  had  its  own  pipe. 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 


A  TRADITION  OF  THE  CALUMET 

Lenni-Lenapi 

IN  the  days  of  the  old  men,  far  to  the  north  there 
lived  a  nation  with  many  villages.  Their  warriors 
were  as  many  as  the  buffalo  herds  on  the  plains 
toward  the  Darkening  Land.  Their  tepees  were  many 
on  the  shores  of  a  beautiful  lake  and  along  wide  rivers. 

Then  the  Mysterious  One,  whose  voice  is  in  the 
clouds,  told  the  chiefs  of  a  great  nation,  also  of  many 
villages,  which  hunted  through  all  the  country  from 
the  Big  Water  in  the  sunrise  to  the  mountains  in  the 
Darkening  Land. 

Then  the  chiefs  and  the  old  men  held  a  council. 
Runners  came  from  many  villages  to  the  great  council. 
And  the  council  voice  was  to  go  to  the  great  nation 
to  the  south,  the  nation  with  many  villages,  and  bring 
back  scalps  and  horses. 

So  the  chiefs  and  warriors  went  out,  one  by  one. 
Then  runners  were  sent  to  all  the  villages,  ordering 
the  chiefs  to  dance  the  scalp  dance. 

Suddenly  there  came  through  the  sky  a  great  white 
bird.  It  came  from  the  forest,  and  flew  into  the  village 

41 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

of  the  great  chief.  It  rested  above  the  head  of  the 
chief's  daughter. 

Then  the  chief's  daughter  heard  a  voice  in  her  heart 
The  voice  said,  "  Call  all  the  chiefs  and  warriors  to 
gether.  Tell  them  the  Mysterious  One  is  sad  because 
they  seek  the  scalps  of  the  Lenni-Lenapi,  the  First 
People.  Tell  the  warriors  they  must  wash  their  hands 
in  the  blood  of  a  young  fawn.  They  must  go  with 
many  presents  to  the  First  People.  They  must  carry 
to  the  First  People  Hobowakan,  the  calumet." 

Thus  the  First  People  and  the  mighty  people  with 
many  villages  on  the  shore  of  the  lake  smoked  together 
the  pipe  of  council.  So  there  was  peace. 


•  I 

if 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 


THE  SACRED  POLE 

Omaha 

A  YOUNG  man  who  had  been  wandering  came 
back   to   his   village.     When   he    reached   his 
home  he  said,  "  Father,  I  have  seen  a  won 
derful  tree."    Then  he  told  his  father  about  it.    The 
old  man  was  silent  because  all  was  not  yet  settled 
between  the  tribes.     The  Cheyenne,  the  Arikara,  the 
Omaha,  Ponca,  and  Iowa  were  having  a  great  council, 
so  as  to  adopt  rules  concerning  the  hunting  of  game, 
and  of  peace,  and  war. 

After  a  while,  the  young  man  went  to  visit  the  tree. 
When  he  reached  home,  he  told  his  father  again  of  it. 
The  old  man  was  silent,  for  the  chiefs  were  still  holding 
their  council.  At  last,  when  the  council  was  over  and 
the  rules  decided  upon,  the  old  man  sent  for  the  chiefs. 
He  said,  "  My  son  has  seen  a  wonderful  tree.  The 
Thunder  Birds  come  and  go  upon  this  tree.  They 
make  a  trail  of  fire  which  leaves  four  paths  on  the 
burnt  grass  that  stretch  towards  the  Four  Winds. 
When'  the  Thunder  Birds  alight  upon  the  tree,  it 
bursts  into  flame.  The  fire  mounts  to  the  top.  The 

43 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

tree  stands  burning,  but  no  one  can  see  the  fire  except 
at  night." 

When  the  chiefs  heard  this  tale,  they  sent  runners 
to  see  what  this  tree  might  be.  The  runners  came  back 
and  told  the  same  story.  In  the  night  they  had  seen 
the  tree  burning  as  it  stood.  Then  all  the  people  held 
a  council  as  to  what  this  might  mean.  The  chiefs  said, 
"  We  shall  run  for  it.  Put  on  your  ornaments  and  pre 
pare  as  if  for  battle." 

The  warriors  painted  themselves  as  if  for  war.  They 
put  on  their  ornaments.  They  set  out  for  the  tree, 
which  stood  near  a  lake.  They  ran  as  if  it  were  a  race 
to  attack  the  enemy.  All  the  men  ran.  A  Ponca  was 
the  first  to  reach  the  tree  and  he  struck  it  as  if  it  were 
an  enemy. 

Then  they  cut  the  tree  down.  Four  men,  walking  in 
a  straight  line,  carried  it  on  their  shoulders  to  the 
village.  The  chiefs  for  four  nights  sang  the  songs  made 
in  honor  of  the  tree.  They  held  a  council  about  the 
tree.  A  tent  was  made  for  it,  and  it  was  set  up  in  the 
circle  of  lodges.  The  chiefs  worked  upon  it;  they 
trimmed  it  and  called  it  a  human  being.  They  made 
a  basket  of  twigs  and  feathers  and  tied  it  half  way  up 
the  tree.  Then  they  said,  "  It  has  no  hair! "  So  they 
sent  out  to  get  a  large  scalp  lock  and  they  put  it  on  top 
of  Pole  for  hair.  Afterwards  the  chiefs  told  the  criers 

44 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

to  tell  the  people  that  when  Pole  was  completed  they 
should  see  it. 

Then  they  painted  Pole  and  set  it  up  before  the  tent. 
They  leaned  it  on  a  crotched  stick.  Then  they  called 
all  the  people  and  all  the  people  came.  Men,  women, 
and  children  came. 

When  they  were  all  together,  the  chiefs  said,  "  This 
is  a  mystery.  Whenever  we  meet  with  trouble,  we  shall 
bring  all  our  prayers  to  Pole.  We  shall  make  offerings 
to  him.  We  shall  ask  him  for  what  we  need.  When 
we  ask  anything,  we  must  make  gifts.  If  anyone  desires 
to  become  a  chief,  he  shall  make  presents  to  the 
Keepers  of  the  Pole,  and  they  shall  give  him  authority 
to  be  a  chief." 

When  all  was  finished  the  people  said,  "  Let  us 
appoint  a  time  when  we  shall  again  paint  Pole;  when 
we  shall  act  before  him  the  battles  we  have  fought." 
So  they  fixed  the  time  in  the  moon  when  the  buffaloes 
bellow. 


43 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


I 


IKTO  AND  THE  THUNDERS 

Teton 

KTO  once  stood  on  the  bank  of  a  stream  across 
which  he  could  not  swim.  He  stood  on  the  bank 
and  thought.  Then  he  sang: 

I  stand, 

Thinking  often, 

Oh,  that  I  might  reach  the  other  side. 

Just  then  a  long  Something  passed,  swimming  against 
the  current.  When  it  reached  Ikto,  it  said, 

"  I  will  take  you  across,  but  you  must  not  lift  your 
head  above  the  water.  Should  you  notice  even  a  small 
cloud,  warn  me  at  once,  as  I  must  go  under  the  water. 
If  you  see  a  small  cloud,  you  must  say,  "  Younger 
brother,  your  grandfather  is  coming." 

Before  the  other  bank  was  reached,  Ikto  looked  up. 
He  saw  a  small  cloud  and  said,  "  Younger  brother,  your 
grandfather  is  coming." 

There  was  a  sudden  commotion.  When  Ikto  became 
conscious  again,  the  Thunder  Beings  were  roaring,  and 
the  water  was  dashing  high,  but  the  monster  had 

vanished. 

46 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 


THE  THUNDER  BIRD 

Comanche 

IN  the  olden  times,  a  hunter  once  shot  at  a  large 
bird  which  was  flying  above  him.  It  fell  to  the 
ground.  It  was  so  large  he  was  afraid  to  go  to  it 
alone,  so  he  went  back  to  the  camp  for  others. 

When  they  came  back  to  the  place  where  the  bird 
had  been  shot,  thunder  was  rolling  through  the  ravine. 
Flashes  of  lightning  showed  the  place  where  the  bird 
lay.  They  came  nearer.  Then  the  lightning  flashed 
so  that  they  could  not  see  the  bird.  One  flash  killed 
a  hunter. 

The  other  Indians  fled  back  to  the  camp.  They  knew 
it  was  the  Thunder  Bird. 

Once  the  Thunder  Bird,  in  the  days  of  the  grand 
fathers,  came  down  to  the  ground  and  alighted  there. 
You  may  know  that  is  so,  because  the  grass  remains 
burned  ofl  a  large  space,  and  the  outlines  are  those  of 
a  large  bird  with  outspread  wings. 


47 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


THE  THUNDER  BIRD 

Assiniboin 

THE  Sioux,  or  Dakotas,  of  whom  the  Assini- 
boins  are  a  branch,  pretend  that  thunder  is 
an  enormous  bird,  and  that  the  muffled 
sound  of  the  distant  thunder  is  caused  by  a  countless 
number  of  young  birds!  The  great  bird,  they  say, 
gives  the*  first  sound,  and  the  young  ones  repeat  it;  this 
is  the  cause  of  the  reverberations.  The  Sioux  declare 
that  the  young  Thunders  do  all  the  mischief,  like  boys 
who  will  not  listen  to  good  advice;  but  the  old 
Thunder,  or  big  bird,  is  wise  and  excellent;  he  never 
kills  or  injures  any  one! 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 


SONG  TO  THE  THUNDER  GODS  * 

Omaha 

Ye  four,  come  hither  and  stand,  near  shall  ye  stand,t 

In  four  groups  shall  ye  stand, 

Here  shall  ye  stand,  in  this  place  stand. 

[The  thunder  rolls] 

Turned  by  the  wind  goes  the  one  I  send  yonder; 
Yonder  he  goes  who  is  whirled  by  the  winds; 
Goes,  where  the  four  hills  of  life  and  the  four  winds 

are  standing; 

There  in  the  midst  of  the  winds  do  I  send  him, 
Into  the  midst  of  the  winds  standing  there. 

[The  thunder  rolls] 

*  By  Alice  C.  Fletcher. 

t  The  "  four  "  are  the  four  winds. 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


SONGS  OF  THE  BUFFALO  HUNT 

Sioux 

The  whole  world  is  coming, 

A  nation  is  coming,  a  nation  is  coming, 

The  Eagle  has  brought  the  message  to  the  tribe. 

The  father  says  so,  the  father  says  so, 

Over  the  whole  earth  they  are  coming. 

The  buffalo  are  coming,  the  buffalo  are  coming, 

The  Crow  has  brought  the  message  to  the  tribe, 

The  father  says  so,  the  father  says  so.§ 

§  "  This  fine  song  summarizes  the  whole  hope  of  the  Ghost-dance 
—  the  return  of  the  buffalo  and  the  departed  dead,  the  message  being 
brought  to  the  people  by  the  sacred  birds,  the  Eagle  and  the  Crow." 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 


SONGS  OF  THE  BUFFALO  HUNT  * 

Sioux 

He!  They  have  come  back  racing,  t 

He!  They  have  come  back  racing, 

Why,  they  say  there  is  to  be  a  buffalo  hunt  over  here, 

Why,  they  say  there  is  to  be  a  buffalo  hunt  over  here. 

Make  arrows!    Make  arrows! 

Says  the  father,  says  the  father. 

Give  me  my  knife, 

Give  me  my  knife, 

I  shall  hang  up  the  meat  to  dry  —  Ye'  ye! 

I  shall  hang  up  the  meat  to  dry  —  Ye'  ye! 

Says  grandmother  —  Yo'  yo! 

Says  grandmother  —  Yo'  yo! 

*  Songs  and  comments  as  given  by  James  Mooney. 

t  "  When  going  on  a  buffalo  hunt,  it  was  customary  among  the 
Sioux  to  send  out  a  small  advance  party  to  locate  the  herd.  On  find 
ing  it,  these  men  returned  at  once  at  full  gallop  to  the  main  body  of 
hunters,  but  instead  of  stopping  on  reaching  them,  they  dashed  past 
and  then  turned  and  fell  in  behind.  It  is  to  this  custom  the  first  line 
refers/' 

51 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

When  it  is  dry  I  shall  make  pemmican, 
When  it  is  dry  I  shall  make  pemmican, 
Says  grandmother  —  Yof  yo! 
Says  grandmother — Yo'  yo/* 

"  In  the  old  days  an  Indian  camp  during  the  cutting  up  of  the 
meat  after  a  buffalo  hunt  was  a  scene  of  the  most  joyous  activity. 
.  .  .  Preparations  were  made  for  days  and  weeks  ahead.  Cour 
iers  were  sent  out  to  collect  the  neighboring  bands  at  a  common 
rendezvous,  medicine-men  began  their  prayers  and  ceremonies  to 
attract  the  herd,  the  buffalo  songs  were  sung,  and  finally  when  all 
was  ready  the  confederated  bands  or  sometimes  the  whole  tribe  — 
men,  women,  children,  horses,  dogs,  and  travois  —  moved  out  into 
the  buffalo  grounds.  Here  the  immense  camp  of  hundreds  of  tipis 
was  set  up,  more  ceremonies  were  performed,  and  the  mounted 
warriors  rode  out  in  a  body  to  surround  and  slaughter  the  herd.  The 
women  followed  close  after  them  to  strip  the  hides  from  the  fresh 
carcasses,  and  cut  out  the  choice  portion  of  the  meat  and  tallow  and 
bring  it  into  camp." 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 


ORIGIN  OF  THE  BUFFALO 

Teton 

IN  the  days  of  the  grandfathers,  buffaloes  lived 
under  the  earth.  In  the  olden  times,  they  say,  a 
man  who  was  journeying  came  to  a  hill  where 
there  were  many  holes  in  the  ground.  He  entered  one 
of  them.  When  he  had  gone  inside  he  found  buffalo 
chips  and  buffalo  tracks  on  all  sides.  He  found  also 
buffalo  hairs  where  the  buffaloes  had  rubbed  against 
the  walls.  These  were  the  real  buffaloes  and  they  lived 
under  the  ground.  Afterwards  some  of  them  came  to 
the  surface  of  the  earth  and  lived  there.  Then  the 
herds  on  the  earth  increased. 

These  buffaloes  had  many  lodges  and  there  they 
raised  their  children.  They  did  many  strange  things. 
Therefore  when  a  man  escapes  being  wounded  by  an 
enemy,  people  say  he  has  seen  the  buffaloes  in  his 
dreams,  and  they  have  helped  him. 

Men  who  dream  of  the  buffaloes  act  like  them  and 
dance  the  buffalo-bull  dance.  Then  the  man  who  acts 
the  buffalo  has  a  real  buffalo  inside  of  him,  people  say, 
a  little  hard  ball  near  the  shoulder  blade;  and  therefore 

53 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

he  is  very  hard  to  kill.     No  matter  how  often  he  is 
wounded,  he  does  not  die. 

People  know  that  the  buffaloes  live  in  earth  lodges ; 
so  they  never  dance  the  buffalo  dance  vainly. 


54 


OE  JHE  GREAT  PLAINS 


[THE  BUFFALO  BEING 

Teton 

ONCE  upon  a  time,  a  Buffalo  Being  attacked  a 
party   of    Indians.     He   killed   one   of  them, 
but  the  others  ran  away  and  climbed  a  tree. 
The  Buffalo  Being  followed  them  and  rushed  at  the 
tree.    He  rushed  many  times,  knocking  off  piece  after 
piece  of  the  tree,  until  very  little  was  left. 

Then  the  frightened  Indians  lighted  some  tinder,  and 
threw  it  far  off  into  the  tall  grass.  The  fire  scorched 
the  Buffalo  Being's  eyes,  and  injured  his  horns.  The 
hard  part  of  the  horn  slipped  off,  leaving  only  the 
softer  part,  so  that  he  could  no  longer  injure  any  one. 
But  the  Buffalo  Being  was  still  dangerous.  At  last 
one  of  the  Indians  slipped  down  the  tree,  with  his  bow 
and  arrow.  He  killed  the  Buffalo  Being.  Then  all  the 
men  came  down  the  tree  and  skinned  the  animal  and 
cut  up  the  flesh.  Into  the  buffalo-skin  robe  they  placed 
the  body  of  the  dead  Indian.  But  suddenly  another 
Buffalo  Being  appeared.  The  Indians  again  climbed 
the  tree.  But  this  Being  only  walked  four  times  around 
the  dead  Indian.  Then  he  said,  "  Arise  to  your  feet." 

55 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

At  once  the  dead  man  came  to  life.  The  Buffalo 
Being  said  to  him,  "  Hereafter  you  shall  be  mysterious. 
The  sun,  the  moons,  the  four  winds,  day  and  night  shall 
be  your  slaves." 

Then  it  was  so.  The  Indian  could  take  the  form  of 
a  fine  plume,  which  was  blown  against  a  tree.  It  would 
stick  to  the  tree  and  wave  many  times  in  the  breeze. 


':  ^M  m  , 


1KA   8T) 

w&wi^ 

.^.js^UA  \o 


iv^  ^A^  \o  iiA^inlil 

» 


i  ^vi'W 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

At  once  the  dead  man  came  to  life.  The  Buffalo 
Being  said  to  him,  u  Hereafter  you  shall  be  mysterious. 
The  sun,  the  moons,  the  four  winds,  day  and  night  shall 
be  your  slaves." 

Then  it  was  so.  The  Indian  could  take  the  form  of 
a  fine  plume,  which  was  blown  against  a  tree.  It  would 
stick  to  the  tree  and  wave  many  times  in  the  br 


GERMAN  KNIGHTS  AND  INDIAN  WARRIORS 

The  German  knights  are  from  a  sketch  in  a  Ms.j  dated  1220,  in  the  Uni 
versity  of  Leipzig.  The  sketch  was  copied  from  Rudolph  Cronau's  ifGeschichte 
der  Solinger  Klingenindustrie"  They  are  Knights  of  the  ijth  century 

The  Indian  warriors  were  drawn  by  an  Apache  Indian  at  Anadarko,  in 
1884,  though  the  insignia  is  really  that  of  the  Cheyenne  Indians 

The  comparison  and  contrast  are  made  by  the  Bureau  of  Ethnology 


Courtesy  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 


THE  YOUTH  AND  THE  UNDERGROUND 

PEOPLE 

Omaha 

THERE  were  some  villages  which  were  very 
populous.  The  chief's  son  and  his  daughter 
were  unmarried.  There  were  two  sons.  They 
surrounded  the  herds  of  buffaloes.  They  used  to  kill 
buffaloes. 

One  of  the  sons  of  this  chief  attacked  a  buffalo 
when  far  apart  from  the  rest.  He  shot  it;  but  the  buf 
falo  had  gone  out  of  sight  into  the  ground.  The  man 
and  his  horse,  too,  went  headlong;  but  the  buffalo  went 
down  first. 

Now  the  father  sent  out  criers.  "  He  says  that  his 
son  reached  the  buffaloes,  but  he  has  not  come  home. 
He  says  that  ye  who  have  seen  his  son  will  please  tell 
it,"  shouted  the  criers. 

One  said  he  had  seen  him.  "  I  saw  him  very  dis 
tinctly.  He  went  in  pursuit.  Perhaps  he  went  head 
long  into  a  sunken  place,  for  when  on  very  level  ground 
he  vanished  altogether.  I  did  not  see  him  again/'  he 
said. 

The  father  commanded  the  people  to  join  him  in 

57 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

seeking  his  son.  When  the  man  who  had  seen  him 
said,  "  It  was  just  here,"  the  people  scattered  far  and 
wide,  seeking  the  chief's  son.  All  the  people  sought 
him.  Behold,  he  had  gone  down  the  pit  some  time 
before.  The  buffalo  had  gone  down,  having  kicked 
off  a  piece  of  the  soil.  The  horse,  too,  had  gone  down, 
having  kicked  off  a  piece  of  the  soil. 

There  was  no  trail  beyond  the  pit.  All  the  people 
went  directly  to  it,  without  hesitation. 

The  pit  was  very  large  and  extended  far  downward. 
The  chief  spoke  of  removing  the  village  there,  at  once. 
So  there  they  camped.  They  camped  around  the  pit. 

Then  the  chief  implored  the  young  men  and  those 
who  had  been  his  friends.  If  there  was  one  man  who 
was  stout-hearted,  one  who  had  a  firm  heart,  the  father 
wished  him  to  enter  the  pit  and  go  after  the  young 
man.  So  he  implored  them. 

At  length  one  rode  round  and  round  the  village. 
Then  he  promised  to  enter  the  pit  and  go  after  the  miss 
ing  son. 

"  Tell  his  father.  He  must  also  collect  cords,"  he 
said. 

Having  cut  buffalo  hides  in  strips,  he  collected  the 
cords. 

"  Make  a  round  piece  of  skin  for  me,  and  tie  the  long 
line  of  cord  to  it,"  he  said.  So  they  finished  it. 

58 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

"  Now  it  matters  not  to  what  place  I  go,  I  will  put 
the  body  in  the  skin  bucket.  I  go  to  take  hold  of  him. 
When  I  reach  the  ground  at  the  bottom,  I  will  pull 
suddenly  on  the  cord.  When  I  pull  on  it  many  times, 
you  will  draw  it  up."  Thus  he  said. 

At  last  he  reached  the  ground  inside  the  pit.  It  was 
very  dark.  When  he  felt  around  in  the  dark,  the  buf 
falo  was  lying  alone,  being  killed  by  the  fall.  The 
horse,  too,  was  lying  by  itself,  having  been  killed  by 
the  fall.  And  the  man  lay  apart  from  them,  having 
been  killed  by  the  fall. 

Picking  up  the  body  of  the  chiefs  son,  he  put  it  in 
the  hollow  skin.  Then  he  pulled  many  times  on  the 
cord. 

But  when  the  young  man  went  down,  strange  to  say, 
he  did  not  ask  favors  for  himself.  And  they  rejoiced 
because  he  had  put  the  chief's  son  in  the  hollow  skin. 
Having  brought  up  the  dead  man  they  forgot  the  living 
one. 

Though  he  sat  waiting  for  the  hollow  skin  to 
come  down  again,  he  was  not  drawn  up.  So  he  sat 
wailing. 

Now  the  chief  had  promised  him  his  daughter  to 
go  down  into  the  pit.  "  If  you  bring  my  son  back, 
you  shall  marry  her,"  he  had  said. 

The  young  man  wandered  about  in  the  darkness.  At 

59 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

length  when  walking  along  the  trail,  he  came  suddenly 
upon  an  old  woman. 

"  Venerable  woman,  though  this  land  is  very  diffi 
cult  to  reach,  I  have  come  hither.  I  came  to  the  hole 
in  the  ground  above.  One  person  came  hither,  having 
fallen  into  this  pit.  I  came  to  take  him  back.  They 
have  not  drawn  me  up;  and  I  have  no  way  of  going 
back.  Venerable  woman,  help  me."  So  he  spoke. 

"  There  is  nothing  that  I  can  do  to  help  you,"  she 
said.  "  A  person  is  in  that  place,  out  of  sight.  Go 
there.  He  is  the  one  who  will  do  it  for  you." 

He  went  there.  When  he  arrived,  he  knocked  repeat 
edly  on  the  door.  Though  he  stood  hearing  them  speak 
ing,  they  did  not  open  the  door  for  him. 

The  woman  said,  "  Fie!  A  person  has  come.  Open 
the  door  for  him." 

Behold!  The  man's  child  was  dead,  and  therefore 
he  sat  without  speaking.  He  sat  still,  being  sad.  Then 
the  young  man  arrived  within  the  lodge,  the  woman 
having  opened  the  door  for  him.  Yet  her  husband  sat 
without  speaking.  The  young  man  was  impatient  from 
hunger.  The  husband  questioned  him : 

"  From  what  place  have  you  walked?  "  he  asked. 

The  young  man  told  his  story.  "  I  walked  up  above, 
but  a  man  headed  off  the  herd,  and  having  fallen,  he 
came  here.  I  came  here  to  take  him  back.  They  did 

60 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

not  take  me  back;  I  have  no  way  of  going  back.    Help 
me,"  he  said. 

The  man  said,  "  We  had  a  child,  but  it  died.  We 
will  treat  you  just  like  the  child  who  died."  He  meant 
he  would  adopt  him.  "  All  things  which  I  have  are 
yours,"  said  the  father. 

The  young  man  did  not  speak.  He  wished  to  go 
homeward. 

"  Whatever  you  say  I  will  do  it  for  you,"  said  the 
father.  "  Even  if  you  desire  to  go  homeward,  it  shall  be 
so,"  he  said. 

At  last  the  young  man  spoke  of  going  homeward. 

"  If  you  say,  '  I  will  go  homeward  riding  a  horse  of 
such  a  color,  O  father! '  it  shall  be  so,"  said  the  father. 

"Fie!"  said  the  woman.  "Heretofore  we  were 
deprived  of  our  child.  The  young  man  who  has  just 
come  home  is  like  him.  Give  him  one  thing  which 
you  have." 

"  I  make  you  my  child.  I  will  give  you  something. 
Whatever  I  desire  I  always  make  with  it,  when  I  wish 
to  have  anything,"  said  the  father.  He  had  a  piece  of 
iron  and  when  he  wished  anything  he  used  to  point  at 
the  iron. 

"  O  father,  I  wish  to  go  homeward  riding  a  horse 
with  very  white  hair.  I  also  desire  a  mule  with  very 
white  hair,  and  a  good  saddle,"  said  the  young  man. 

61 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

"  Come,  go  there.  Open  the  door  of  that  stable. 
When  you  wish  to  see  us  again,  you  shall  see  us.  When 
you  will  go  homeward,  you  will  say,  '  Come,  O  father, 
I  desire  to  go  homeward,'  "  said  the  father. 

The  young  man  went  homeward.  He  made  the  rocks 
open  suddenly  by  pointing  at  them  with  the  iron.  He 
went  up,  making  the  ground  echo  under  the  horse's 
feet.  When  he  pushed  aside  a  very  large  rock  which 
was  in  his  way,  he  found  himself  again  on  the  surface 
of  the  earth.  The  horse  and  mule  were  very  sudden 
in  their  movements.  They  shied  at  every  step.  They 
sniffed  the  odor  of  a  bad  land. 

The  young  man  found  his  nation  that  he  had  left. 
Behold!  they  had  recently  removed  and  departed. 
After  they  waited  some  time  for  him  to  appear,  they 
had  removed  their  camp  and  departed.  The  horse 
and  mule  went  along,  fearing  the  sight  of  the  old 
camping  ground.  They  followed  the  trail  of  the  de 
parting  village. 

Then  the  young  man  saw  two  people  on  a  large  hill, 
walking  in  the  trail.  They  were  the  head  chief  and  his 
wife  who  were  walking  along,  mourning  for  the  dead. 

They  looked  behind  and  said,  "  Yonder  comes  one 
on  horseback,  following  the  trail  made  by  the  depart 
ing  village." 

He  drew  near.  They  sat  waiting  for  him  to  appear. 

62 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

The  horse  and  mule  feared  the  sight  of  them;  they 
sniffed  a  bad  odor. 

"  Why  I  Of  what  nation  are  you?  "  asked  the  chief. 

"  It  is  I,"  said  the  young  man. 

"  But  which  one  are  you?  "  said  the  chief. 

"  Your  son  went  headlong  into  a  pit  when  they  sur 
rounded  the  herd,"  said  the  young  man.  "  And  I  went 
down  to  get  him.  You  did  not  bring  me  back.  It  is 
I." 

As  he  was  very  much  changed,  the  old  man 
doubted. 

"  Fie !    Tell  the  truth  about  yourself." 

"  When  they  surrounded  the  herd,  your  son  went 
headlong  as  well  as  the  buffalo,  and  he  was  killed  by 
falling  into  a  pit.  When  you  commanded  them  to  get 
him,  they  drew  back  through  fear.  I  am  he  who  went 
to  get  him  when  you  offered  your  daughter  as  a 
reward,"  said  the  young  man.  "  I  have  hardly  been 
able  to  come  again  to  the  surface." 

Then  they  recognized  him.  The  two  men  stood  talk 
ing  together  on  the  large  hill.  The  chief's  son  looked 
back  from  the  camp. 

"  Why!  The  chief  and  his  wife  have  come  as  far  as 
the  large  hill  and  a  man  on  horseback  has  come,  too. 
He  stands  talking  to  them.  I  will  go  thither.  Let  me 
see !  I  will  go  to  see  them." 

63 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

He  went  back  on  horseback  and  came  to  his  father. 

"With  what  person  do  you  talk?"  said  the  son. 

"  Why!  He  who  went  to  get  your  elder  brother  has 
come  back!  "  said  the  head  chief. 

They  shook  hands.  And  the  head  chief  gave  his 
daughter  to  the  young  man. 

"  Let  all  the  men  and  chiefs  assemble.  Let  all  the 
stout-hearted  young  men  assemble.  They  can  look  at 
my  daughter's  husband,"  he  said. 

They  assembled.  They  came  to  see  the  young  man 
and  brought  the  things  they  intended  giving  him. 

"  He  says  that  he  who  went  to  get  the  man  who  was 
killed  by  falling  has  come  back.  The  chief  says  that 
as  he  has  made  the  young  man  his  daughter's  husband 
you  shall  go  to  see  the  young  man.  He  says  that  you 
will  take  to  him  what  things  you  wish  to  give  him. 
The  chief  says  he  will  give  thanks  for  them."  So 
shouted  the  crier. 

All  the  young  men  and  those  who  were  brave  and 
generous  went  thither.  They  all  gave  him  clothing  and 
good  horses.  His  wife's  father  made  him  the  head 
chief. 

"  Make  ye  a  tent  for  him  in  the  center,"  said  the  old 
chief. 

They  set  up  a  tent  for  him  in  the  center.  They  fin 
ished  it. 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

"  The  people  did  not  eat.  As  they  sat  waiting  for 
you  to  appear,  the  nation  did  not  eat.  You  came  back 
when  they  were  just  removing  camp,"  said  the  old 
chief. 

"Ho!"  said  the  one  who  had  just  reached  home. 
"  Let  two  old  men  go  as  criers." 

So  the  criers  shouted:  "  The  chief's  daughter's  hus 
band  says  that  you  will  rest  tomorrow.  He  says  you 
will  not  go  in  any  direction  whatever." 

The  next  day  he  commanded  those  who  had  come 
back  on  horseback  to  act  as  scouts.  And  the  scouts  came 
back  very  soon ;  because  by  means  of  the  iron  rod  which 
he  had  asked  of  his  father,  he  made  a  great  many  buf 
faloes  very  quickly.  He  spoke  of  surrounding  them. 
They  shot  down  many  of  the  buffaloes.  He  went  to 
take  part  in  surrounding  them. 

His  wife  said,  "  I  desire  to  go  to  see  them  surround 
the  herd.  I  must  go  to  see  the  buffaloes.  When  they 
are  killed,  I  will  be  quite  likely  to  come  back." 

When  they  killed  the  buffaloes  she  was  coming  back; 
the  wife  stood  on  the  hill.  Her  husband  came  to  that 
place. 

"  Though  I  killed  the  buffaloes,  they  will  cut  them 
up,"  he  said.  They  who  surrounded  them  reached 
home. 

Again  they  spoke  of  a  buffalo  hunt.  "  The  chief's 

65 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

"daughter's  husband  speaks  indeed  of  sending  them  to 
act  as  scouts,"  said  the  criers. 

Again  the  herd  of  buffaloes  had  come  to  that  coun 
try.  They  surrounded  them.  Again  they  shot  down 
many  of  them. 

At  last  the  son  of  the  old  head  chief  was  in  a  bad 
humor.  He  was  in  a  bad  humor  because  his  sister's 
husband  had  been  made  chief. 

Now  at  night,  the  horse  used  to  say  to  the  young  man, 
"  O  father,  a  man  desires  very  much  to  kill  us.  It  is 
so  every  night."  And  after  that  at  night  the  young  man 
used  to  take  care  of  his  horse  and  mule. 

On  the  next  day  they  surrounded  the  herd  in  the 
land  where  the  deed  was  done.  It  was  just  so  again;  a 
great  many  buffaloes  had  been  coming.  At  length  the 
son  wished  the  buffaloes  to  trample  his  sister's  husband 
to  death.  When  they  attacked  the  buffaloes,  he  waved 
his  robe.  Turning  around  in  his  course,  he  waved  his 
robe  again.  When  the  sister's  husband  went  right  in 
among  the  buffaloes,  they  closed  in  on  him  and  he  was 
not  seen  at  all. 

The  people  said,  "  The  buffaloes  have  trampled  to 
death  the  chief's  daughter's  husband." 

When  the  buffaloes  trampled  him  to  death,  they  scat 
tered  and  went  homeward  in  every  direction,  moving 
in  long  lines.  And  the  people  did  not  find  any  trace 

66 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

whatever  of  what  was  done.  They  did  not  find  the 
horse.  Even  the  man  they  did  not  find.  When  the  buf 
faloes  killed  him  by  trampling,  the  horse  had  gone 
back  to  Him  Who  Made  Things. 


67 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


THE  BUFFALO  AND  THE  GRIZZLY  BEAR 

Omaha 

GRIZZLY  BEAR  was  going  somewhere,  follow 
ing  the  course  of  a  stream,  and  at  last  he  went 
straight  towards  the  headland.  When  he  got  in 
sight,  Buffalo  Bull  was  standing  beneath  it.  Grizzly 
Bear  retraced  his  steps,  going  again  to  the  stream,  fol 
lowing  its  course  until  he  got  beyond  the  headland. 
Then  he  drew  near  and  peeped.  He  saw  that  Buffalo 
Bull  was  very  lean,  and  standing  with  his  head  bowed, 
as  if  sluggish.  So  Grizzly  Bear  crawled  up  close  to 
him,  made  a  rush,  seized  him  by  the  hair  of  his  head, 
and  pulled  down  his  head.  He  turned  Buffalo  Bull 
round  and  round,  shaking  him  now  and  then,  saying, 
"  Speak!  Speak!  I  have  been  coming  to  this  place  a 
long  time,  and  they  say  you  have  threatened  to  fight  me. 
Speak!"  Then  he  hit  Buffalo  Bull  on  the  nose  with 
his  open  paw. 

"Why!"  said  Buffalo  Bull,  "I  have  never  threat 
ened  to  fight  you,  who  have  been  coming  to  this  country 
so  long." 

"  Not  so!  You  have  threatened  to  fight  me." 

68 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

Letting  go  the  buffalo's  head,  Grizzly  Bear  went 
around  and  seized  him  by  the  tail,  turning  him  round 
and  round.  Then  he  left,  but  as  he  did  so,  he  gave  him 
a  hard  blow  with  his  open  paw. 

"  Oh!  Oh!  Oh!  Oh!  Oh!  you  have  caused  me  great 
pain,"  said  Buffalo  Bull.  Bobtailed  Grizzly  Bear 
departed. 

Buffalo  Bull  thought  thus :  "  Attack  him !  You  too 
have  been  just  that  sort  of  a  person." 

Grizzly  Bear  knew  what  he  was  thinking,  so  he  said, 
"  Why!  what  are  you  saying?  " 

"  I  said  nothing,"  said  Buffalo  Bull. 

Then  Grizzly  Bear  came  back.  He  seized  Buffalo 
Bull  by  the  tail,  pulling  him  round  and  round.  Then 
he  seized  him  by  the  horns,  pulling  his  head  round  and 
round.  Then  he  seized  him  again  by  the  tail  and  hit 
him  again  with  the  open  paw.  Again  Grizzly  Bear 
departed.  And  again  Buffalo  Bull  thought  as  he  had 
done  before.  Then  Grizzly  Bear  came  back  and 
treated  Buffalo  Bull  as  he  had  before. 

Buffalo  Bull  stepped  backward,  throwing  his  tail 
into  the  air. 

"Why!    Do  not  flee,"  said  Grizzly  Bear. 

Buffalo  threw  himself  down,  and  rolled  over  and 
over.  Then  he  continued  backing,  pawing  the  ground. 

"Why!  I  say,  do  not  flee,"  said  Grizzly  Bear. 

69 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

When  Buffalo  Bull  backed,  making  ready  to  attack 
him,  Grizzly  Bear  thought  he  was  scared. 

Then  Buffalo  Bull  ran  towards  Grizzly,  puffing  a 
great  deal.  When  he  neared  him,  he  rushed  on  him 
He  sent  Grizzly  Bear  flying  through  the  air. 

As  Grizzly  Bear  came  down  towards  the  earth,  Buf 
falo  Bull  caught  him  on  his  horns  and  threw  him  into 
the  air  again.  When  Grizzly  Bear  fell  and  lay  on  the 
ground,  Buffalo  Bull  made  at  him  with  his  horns  to 
gore  him,  but  just  missed  him.  Grizzly  Bear  crawled 
away  slowly,  with  Buffalo  Bull  following  him  step  by 
step,  thrusting  at  him  now  and  then,  though  without 
striking  him.  When  Grizzly  Bear  came  to  a  cliff,  he 
plunged  over  headlong,  and  landed  in  a  thicket  at  the 
foot.  Buffalo  Bull  had  run  so  fast  he  could  not  stop 
at  the  edge  where  Grizzly  Bear  went  over,  but  followed 
the  cliff  for  some  distance.  Then  he  came  back  and 
stood  with  his  tail  partly  raised.  Grizzly  Bear  returned 
to  the  bank  and  peeped. 

"  Oh,  Buffalo  Bull,"  said  Grizzly  Bear.  "  Let  us  be 
friends.  We  are  very  much  alike  in  disposition." 


70 


•     • 


«*  <X 


v  ' 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

When  Buffalo  Bull  backed,  making  ready  to  attack 
him,  Grizzly  Bear  thought  he  was  scared. 

Then  Buffalo  Bull  ran  towards  Grizzly,  puffing  a 
great  deal.  When  he  neared  him,  he  rushed  on  him 
He  sent  Grizzly  Bear  flying  through  the  air. 

As  Grizzly  Bear  came  down  towards  the  earth,  Buf 
falo  Bull  caught  him  or*  his  horns  and  threw  him  into 
the  air  again.  When  (»n/,z!y  Bear  fell  and  lay  on  the 
ground,  Buffalo  ?  »is  horns  to 

gore  him.  but  iu*t  &•• 

away  slowh  m:Htfc*;  Bttil  following  bun  sicp  by 

RIVALRY  OVER  THE  BUFFALO 
(Comanche  drawing  on  a  buffalo  shoulder  blade) 

The  Indian  chase  is  by  arrow;  the  white  man's  by  the  lasso,  gun^  and 
spear.  The  rivalry  is  indicated  by  half  the  buffalo  being  drawn  as  belonging 
to  one  race,  half  to  the  other.  The  white  men  are  supposed  to  be  Spaniards. 
The  shoulder  blade  was  found  in  the  Comanche  country,  in  Texas 

the  cliff  for  some  distance.  Then  he  came  back  and 
stood  with  his  tail  partly  raised.  Grizzly  Bear  returned 
to  the  bank  and  peeped. 

"  Oh,  Buffalo  Bull,"  said  Grizzly  Bea:  ;  Ut  us  be 
friends.  We  are  very  much  alike  in  di$|v$ifion." 


70 


Enlarged  from  a   sketch   in   Report   of   the  Bureau   of  Ethnology 


\ 


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twelve  years  old  when  this  txxi 


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OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 


MY  FIRST  BUFFALO  HUNT  * 

Omaha 

I   WENT  three  times  on  the  buffalo  hunt.    When 
I  was  there  the  first  time,  I  was  small ;  therefore, 
I  did  not  shoot  the  buffaloes.    But  I  used  to  take 
care  of  the  pack  horses  for  those  who  surrounded  the 
herd.    When  they  surrounded  the  herd  at  the  very  first, 
I  spoke  of  shooting  at  the  buffaloes.     But  my  father 
said,  "  Perhaps  the  horse  might  throw  you  suddenly, 
and  then  the  buffalo  might  gore  you."    And  I  was  in 
a  bad  humor. 

My  father  went  with  me  to  the  hill.  We  sat  and 
looked  on  them  when  they  attacked  the  buffaloes.  And 
notwithstanding  my  father  talked  to  me,  I  continued 
there  without  talking  to  him.  At  length  one  man  was 
coming  directly  toward  the  tents  in  pursuit  of  a  buffalo 
bull.  And  the  buffalo  bull  was  savage.  He  attacked 
the  man  now  and  then. 
"  Come!  Go  thither,"  said  my  father.  I  tied  a  lariat 

*The  author,  Frank  La  Fleche,  an  Omaha  Indian,  was  about 
twelve  years  old  when  this  occurred. 

71 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

on  a  large  red  mare  that  was  very  tall.  And  taking  a 
very  light  gun  which  my  father  had,  I  went  over  there. 
When  I  arrived  the  buffalo  bull  was  standing  motion 
less.  The  man  said  he  was  very  glad  that  I  had  come. 
The  buffalo  bull  was  savage.  The  man  shot  suddenly 
at  him  with  a  bow  and  wounded  him  on  the  back.  And 
then  he  attacked  us.  The  horse  on  which  I  was  seated 
leaped  very  far  four  times,  and  had  gone  off,  throwing 
me  suddenly.  When  the  buffalo  bull  had  come  very 
close,  he  wheeled  around  and  departed.  So  I  failed 
to  shoot  at  him  before  he  went.  I  reached  home  just 
as  my  mother  was  scolding  my  father  about  me.  When 
the  horse  reached  home  with  the  bridle  sticking  to  it, 
she  knew  that  I  had  been  thrown.  My  father  said  noth 
ing  at  all,  but  sat  laughing.  Addressing  me,  he  said, 
"  Did  you  kill  the  buffalo  bull?  "  And  I  did  not  speak. 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 


BIRD  OMENS 

Sioux 

WHEN  whippoorwills  sing  together  at  night, 
" Hohin,  hohin/'  one  says  in  reply,  "No." 
If  the  birds  stop  talking  at  once,  then  the 
person  will  die  soon.  But  if  the  birds  continue  talking, 
then  the  man  will  live  a  long  time. 

The  gray  screech  owl  foretells  cold  weather.  When 
the  night  is  to  be  very  cold,  then  the  owl  cries  out; 
it  sounds  just  as  if  a  person's  teeth  chattered.  When  the 
owl  cries  out,  all  people  wrap  themselves  in  their  thick 
est  robes ;  and  they  put  plenty  of  wood  on  the  fires. 

The  Ski-bi-bi-la  is  a  small  gray  bird,  with  a  black 
head,  and  spotted  on  the  breast.  It  lives  in  the  woods, 
and  it  answers  a  person  who  calls  to  it.  When  this 
bird  says,  "  Has  it  returned?  "  people  are  glad.  They 
know  that  spring  is  near.  When  a  boy  hears  the  bird 
ask  this  question,  he  runs  to  his  mother;  she  tells  him 
he  must  answer,  "  No;  it  has  not  yet  returned." 

When  the  people  first  hear  the  cry  of  the  nighthawk 
in  the  spring,  they  begin  to  talk  of  hunting  buffalo. 
This  is  because  when  the  hawk  returns,  the  buffaloes 
hare  become  fat  again  and  the  birds  bring  the  news. 

73 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


THE  BIRD  CHIEF 

Omaha 

ALL  the  birds  were  called  together.    To  them 
was  said,  "  Whichever  one  of  you  can  fly  far 
thest  into  the  sky  shall  be  chief.7' 
All  the  birds  flew  to  a  great  height.    But  Wren  got 
under  the  thick  feathers  of  Eagle  and  sat  there  as  Eagle 
flew.    When  all  the  birds  became  wing-tired,  they  flew 
down  again;  but  Eagle  flew  still  higher.    When  Eagle 
had  gone  as  far  as  he  could,  Wren  flew  still  higher. 

When  all  the  birds  reached  the  ground,  Eagle  alone 
returned,  after  a  great  while.  Behold!  Wren  only  was 
absent.  So  they  awaited  him.  At  last  he  returned. 
Eagle  had  too  highly  been  thinking  of  himself,  being 
sure  of  being  made  chief;  and  behold!  Wren  was  made 
chief. 


74 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 


SONG  OF  THE  BIRDS  * 

Pawnee 

All  around  the  birds  in  flocks  are  flying. 
Dipping,  rising,  circling,  see  them  coming. 
See,  many  birds  are  flocking  here, 
All  about  us  now  together  coming. 

Yonder  see  the  birds  in  flocks,  come  flying; 
Dipping,  rising,  circling,  see  them  gather. 
Loud  is  the  sound  their  winging  makes. 
Rushing,  come  they  on  the  trees  alighting. 

From  the  flock  an  eagle  now  comes  flying; 
Dipping,  rising,  circling,  comes  she  hither. 
Loud  screams  the  eagle,  flying  swift, 
As  an  eagle  flies,  her  nestlings  seeking. 

It  is  Kawas  coming,  Kawas  flying; 
Dipping,  rising,  circling,  she  advances. 
See!    Nearer  she  comes,  nearer  comes. 
Now,  alighted,  she  her  nest  is  making. 

*  Rendition  by  Alice  C.  Fletcher. 

75 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

Yonder  people  like  the  birds  are  flocking; 
See  them  circling,  this  side,  that  side  coming. 
Loud  is  the  sound  their  moving  makes, 
As  together  come  they,  onward  come  they. 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 


SONG  OF  KAWAS,  THE  EAGLE  * 

Pawnee 

O'er  the  prairie  flits  in  ever  widening  circles  the 
shadow  of  a  bird  about  me  as  I  walk; 

Upward  turn  my  eyes,  Kawas  looks  upon  me,  she  turns 
with  flapping  wings  and  far  away  she  flies. 

Round  about  a  tree  in  ever  widening  circles  an  eagle 

flies,  alert  watching  o'er  his  nest; 
Loudly  whistles  he,  a  challenge  sending  far,  o'er  the 

country  wide  it  echoes,  there  defying  foes. 

*  Rendition  by  Alice  C.  Fletcher. 


77 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


THE  EAGLE'S  REVENGE 

Cherokee 

ONCE  a  hunter  in  the  mountains  heard  a  noise 
at  night  like  a  rushing  wind.  He  went  out 
side  his  tepee,  and  found  an  eagle  was  sitting 
on  the  drying  pole,  feasting  at  the  deer  he  had  shot. 
So  he  shot  the  eagle. 

The  next  morning  the  hunter  took  the  deer  back  to 
the  village.  He  told  how  he  had  shot  the  deer  and 
then  the  eagle.  Therefore  the  chief  sent  out  men  to 
bring  in  the  eagle,  and  have  an  Eagle  dance. 

That  night  when  they  were  dancing,  there  was  a 
whoop  outside.  A  strange  warrior  walked  into  the 
circle.  He  was  not  of  that  village.  They  thought  he 
had  come  from  one  of  the  other  Cherokee  villages. 

This  warrior  told  how  he  had  killed  a  man.  At  the 
end  of  the  story,  he  yelled,  "Hi!"  One  of  the  men 
with  rattles,  who  was  leading  the  dance,  fell  dead. 
The  stranger  sang  of  another  deed.  At  the  end  -he 
yelled,  "  Hi!  "  Another  rattler  fell  dead.  The  people 
were  frightened.  But  the  stranger  sang  of  another 
great  deed.  Then  again  he  yelled,  "Hit"  Again  a 

78 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

man  with  the  rattles  fell  dead.  So  all  seven  men  who 
had  rattles  and  who  were  leading  the  dance  fell  dead. 
And  the  people  were  too  frightened  to  leave  the  lodge 
where  they  were  dancing. 

Then  the  stranger  vanished  into  the  darkness.  Long 
after  they  learned  that  the  stranger  was  the  brother  of 
the  eagle  that  had  been  killed. 


79 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


THE    RACE    BETWEEN    HUMMING    BIRD 
AND  CRANE 

HUMMING  BIRD  and  Crane  were  both  in 
love  with  a  pretty  woman.  She  liked  Hum 
ming  Bird,  who  was  handsome.  Crane  was 
ugly,  but  he  would  not  give  up  the  pretty  woman.  So 
at  last  to  get  rid  of  him,  she  told  them  they  must  have 
a  race,  and  that  she  would  marry  the  winner.  Now 
Humming  Bird  flew  like  a  flash  of  light;  but  Crane 
was  heavy  and  slow. 

The  birds  started  from  the  woman's  house  to  fly 
around  the  world  to  the  beginning.  Humming  Bird 
flew  of!  like  an  arrow.  He  flew  all  day  and  when  he 
stopped  to  roost  he  was  far  ahead. 

Crane  flew  heavily,  but  he  flew  all  night  long.  He 
stopped  at  daylight  at  a  creek  to  rest.  Humming  Bird 
waked  up,  and  flew  on  again,  and  soon  he  reached  a 
creek,  and  behold!  there  was  Crane,  spearing  tad 
poles  with  his  long  bill.  Humming  Bird  flew  on. 

Soon  Crane  started  on  and  flew  all  night  as  before. 
Humming  Bird  slept  on  his  roost. 

Next  morning  Humming  Bird  flew  on  and  Crane 

80 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

was  far,  far  ahead.  The  fourth  day,  Crane  was  spear 
ing  tadpoles  for  dinner  when  Humming  Bird  caught 
up  with  him.  By  the  seventh  day  Crane  was  a  whole 
night's  travel  ahead.  At  last  he  reached  the  beginning 
again.  He  stopped  at  the  creek  and  preened  his 
feathers,  and  then  in  the  early  morning  went  to  the 
woman's  house.  Humming  Bird  was  far,  far  behind. 
But  the  woman  declared  she  would  not  marry  so 
ugly  a  man  as  Crane.  Therefore  she  remained  single. 


81 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


RABBIT  AND  THE  TURKEYS 

Omaha 

RABBIT  was  going  somewhere.  At  length  he 
reached  a  place  where  there  were  wild 
Turkeys. 

"  Come,"  said  Rabbit.  "  I  will  sing  dancing  songs 
for  you." 

Turkeys  went  to  him  saying,  "Oho!  Rabbit  will 
sing  dancing  songs  for  us!  " 

"  When  I  sing  for  you,  you  larger  ones  must  go 
around  the  circle  next  to  me.     Beware  lest  you  open 
your  eyes.    Should  one  of  you  open  his  eyes,  your  eyes 
shall  be  red,"  said  Rabbit. 
Then  he  began  to  sing, 

Alas  for  the  gazer! 
Eyes  red!    Eyes  red! 
Spread  out  your  tails! 
Spread  out  your  tails! 

Whenever  a  large  Turkey  came  near,  Rabbit  seized 
it  and  put  it  in  his  bag.  While  he  was  putting  in  a 
Turkey,  another  one  opened  his  eyes  a  little,  and 

82 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

exclaimed,  "  Why!  He  has  captured  nearly  all  of  us 
large  ones! " 

Off  they  all  flew  with  a  whirring  sound. 

Rabbit  took  home  those  he  had  in  his  bag,  saying 
to  his  grandmother,  "  Do  not  look  at  what  is  in  that 
bag!  I  have  brought  it  home  on  my  back  and  I  wish 
you  to  guard  it!  " 

Then  he  went  out  to  cut  spits  on  which  to  roast  the 
Turkeys,  When  the  old  woman  was  alone,  she  thought, 
"  What  could  he  have  brought  home  on  his  back?  " 
So  she  untied  the  bag,  and  when  she  looked  in  out  flew 
all  the  Turkeys,  hitting  their  wings  hard  against  the 
grass  lodge,  and  flying  out  the  smoke  hole.  The  old 
woman  barely  killed  one  by  hitting  it.  At  length 
Rabbit  came  home. 

"  Oh  I  have  inflicted  a  severe  injury  on  my  grand 
child,"  she  said. 

"  Really,"  he  answered.  "  Grandmother,  I  told  you 
not  to  look  at  it." 

But  that  is  why  Turkeys  have  red  eyes. 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


UNKTOMI  AND  THE  BAD  SONGS 

Dakota 

UNKTOMI  was  going  along;  his  way  lay  along 
by  the  side  of  a  lake.     Out  on  the  lake  there 
were  a  great  many  ducks,  geese,   and  swans 
swimming.    When  Unktomi  saw  them  he  went  back 
ward  out  of  sight,  and  picking  some  grass,  bound  it  up 
in  a  bundle.    He  placed  this  on  his  back  and  so  went 
again  along  by  the  side  of  the  lake. 

"  Unktomi,  what  are  you  carrying?  "  asked  the  ducks 
and  the  geese  and  the  swans. 

"  These  are  bad  songs  I  am  carrying,"  said  Unktomi, 
The  ducks  said,  "  Unktomi,  sing  for  us." 
Unktomi  replied,  "  But  the  songs  are  very  bad." 
But  the  ducks  insisted  upon  it.    Then  Unktomi  said, 
"  Make  a  grass  lodge."    So  they  went  to  work  and  made 
a  large  grass  lodge. 

"  Now,  let  all  the  ducks,  geese,  and  swans  gather 
inside  the  lodge  and  I  will  sing  for  you,"  said  Unktomi. 
So  all  the  ducks  and  the  geese  and  the  swans  gathered 
inside  and  filled  the  grass  lodge.  Then  Unktomi  took 
his  place  at  the  door  of  the  lodge  and  said,  "  If  I  sing 

84 


XUOI8  AJJAOO  3HT  TO 


a 

\o  ii^nVtoAi 
wo  i 


no 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


UNKTOMI  AND  THE  BAD  SONGS 


UNKTOMT  was  going  along;  his  way  lay  along 
by  the  side  at  a  lake.  Out  on  the  lake  there 
were  a  gn-a?  mauy  ducks,  geesr,  :.fid  .-wans 

FIVE  CHIEFS  OF  THE  OGALLA  SIOUX 

Rank  is  shown  by  pipe  and  pouch.  The  first  is  Cankutanka,  Big  Road; 
often  called  Good  Road — big  and  broad  and  well  traveled.  The  bird 
flying  through  the  dusk  shows  that  one  may  fly  rapidly  over  a  good  road. 
Next  is  Low  Dog.  The  dog  figure  is  "low'/  as  shown  by  the  shortness  of 
the  legs.  In  the  center  is  Long  Dog,  as  shown  by  the  long  legs  on  the  dog 
figure.  Below,  to  the  left,  is  Iron  Crow,  the  crow  painted  blue  indicating 
iron.  The  last  is  Little  Hawk.  Each  chief  has  three  bands  on  the  cheek, 
but  with  variant  colors  and  patterns 

The  duels  7,'iktorm,  sing  tor  us. 

Unktomi  replied,  "  But  the  songs  are  very  K* 

But  the  ducks  insisted  upon  it.  Then  Unki  *aui, 
"  Make  a  grass  lodge."  So  they  went  to  work  and  made 
a  large  grass  lodge. 

"Now,  let  all  the  ducks,  geesf,  and  swans  gather 
inside  the  lodge  and  I  will  sing  lor  vo«,"  said  Unktomi. 
So  all  the  ducks  and  the  geese  and  the  swans  gathered 
inside  and  filled  the  grass  lodge      fhen  Unktomi  too1 
hi?  nhce  at  the  door  of  the  lodge  *n<!  said,  "  If  I  sing 


From  Report  of  the  Bureau  of  Ethnology 


0     Q 

I  6 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

for  you,  no  one  must  look,  for  that  is  the  meaning  of 
the  song." 
Then  he  began  to  sing, 

Dance   with   your   eyes   shut; 
If  you  open  your  eyes 
Your  eyes  shall  be  red! 
Your  eyes  shall  be  red! 

When  he  said  and  sang  this,  the  geese,  ducks,  and 
swans  danced  with  their  eyes  shut.  Then  Unktomi  rose 
up  and  said, 

I  even,  even  I 
Follow  in  my  own; 
I  even,  even  I, 
Follow  in  my  own. 

So  they  all  gabbled  as  they  danced,  and  Unktomi, 
dancing  among  them,  commenced  twisting  off  the  necks 
of  the  fattest  of  the  geese  and  ducks  and  swans.  But 
when  he  tried  to  twist  off  the  neck  of  a  large  swan  and 
could  not,  he  only  made  him  squawk.  Then  a  small 
duck,  called  Skiska,  partly  opened  his  eyes.  He  saw 
Unktomi  try  to  break  the  swan's  neck,  and  he  made  an 

outcry: 

Look  ye,  look  ye ! 

Unktomi  will  destroy  us  all. 

Look  ye,  look  ye ! 

85 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

At  once  they  all  opened  their  eyes  and  attempted  to 
go  out.  But  Unktomi  threw  himself  in  the  doorway 
and  tried  to  stop  them.  They  rushed  upon  him  with 
their  feet  and  wings,  and  smote  him  and  knocked  him 
over,  walking  on  his  stomach,  and  leaving  him  as 
though  dead.  Then  Unktomi  came  to  life,  and  got  up, 
and  looked  around. 

But  they  say  that  the  Wood  Duck,  which  looked 
first,  had  his  eyes  made  red. 

Then  Unktomi  gathered  up  the  ducks  and  geese  and 
swans  he  had  killed  and  carried  them  on  his  back.  He 
came  to  a  river  and  traveled  along  by  the  side  of  it 
till  he  came  to  a  long,  straight  place  where  he  stopped 
to  boil  his  kettle.  He  put  all  the  ducks  and  geese  and 
swans  whose  necks  he  had  twisted  into  the  kettle,  and 
set  it  on  the  fire  to  boil,  and  then  he  lay  down  to  sleep. 

As  he  lay  there,  curled  up  on  the  bank  of  the  river, 
he  said,  "  Mionze  [familiar  spirit],  if  anyone  comes 
you  wake  me  up."  So  he  slept. 

Now  a  mink  came  paddling  along  on  the  river,  and 
coming  close  to  Unktomi's  boiling  place,  saw  him  lying 
fast  asleep.  Then  he  went  there.  While  Unktomi 
slept,  he  took  out  all  the  boiling  meat  and  ate  it  up, 
putting  the  bones  back  into  the  kettle.  Then  Unktomi 
waked  up.  He  sat  up  and  saw  no  one. 

"  Perhaps  my  boiling  is  cooked  for  me,"  he  said. 

86 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

He  took  the  kettle  off  the  fire.  He  poked  a  stick  into 
it  and  found  only  bones.  Then  he  said,  "  Indeed,  the 
meat  has  all  fallen  off."  So  he  took  a  spoon  and  dipped 
it  out;  nothing  was  there  but  bones. 

This  is  the  story  of  Unktomi  and  the  Bad  Songs. 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


HOW  THE  PHEASANT  BEAT  CORN 

Cherokee 

ONCE  Pheasant  saw  a  woman  beating  corn  in  a 
wooden  mortar  in  front  of  her  lodge. 
"  I  can  do  that,  too,"  said  Pheasant. 
"  I  do  n't  believe  you,"  said  the  woman. 
"  Yes,  I  can,"  said  Pheasant.    So  Pheasant  went  into 
the  woods  behind  the  lodge.    He  flew  to  a  hollow  log 
and  drummed  with  his  wings  until  the  people  thought 
he  really  was  beating  corn. 

That  is  why  the  Indians  have  the  Pheasant  dance,  as 
a  part  of  the  Green-corn  dance. 


88 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 


WHY  THE  TURKEY  GOBBLES 

Cherokee 

IN  the  old  days,  Grouse  had  a  good  voice  and 
Turkey  had  none.  Therefore  Turkey  asked 
Grouse  to  teach  him.  But  Grouse  wanted  pay, 
so  Turkey  promised  to  give  him  some  feathers  for  a 
collar.  That  is  how  the  Grouse  got  his  collar  of  turkey 
feathers. 

So  the  Grouse  began  to  teach  Turkey.  At  last  Grouse 
said,  "  Now  you  must  try  your  voice.  You  must 
halloo." 

Turkey  said,  "  Yes." 

Grouse  said,  "  I  '11  stand  on  this  hollow  log,  and 
when  I  tap  on  it,  you  must  halloo  as  loudly  as  you  can." 

So  Grouse  climbed  upon  a  log,  ready  to  tap  on  it, 
but  when  he  did  so,  Turkey  became  so  excited  that 
when  he  opened  his  mouth,  he  only  said,  "  Gobble,  gob 
ble,  gobble!" 

That  is  why  the  Turkey  gobbles  whenever  he  hears  a 
noise. 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


OMAHA  BELIEFS 

Omaha 

SONG  was  an  integral  part  of  Omaha  life. 
Through  song,  the  Omaha  approached  the  mys 
terious  Wakoda;  through  song  he  voiced  his 
emotions,  both  individual  and  social ;  through  song  he 
embodied  feelings  and  aspirations  that  eluded  expres 
sion  in  words.  In  one  of  their  ceremonies,  the  Wa'  wa, 
"  to  sing  for  somebody,"  songs  are  one  of  the  chief 
characteristics. 

In  this  ceremony,  the  eagle  is  "  Mother."  She  calls 
to  her  nestlings  and  upon  her  strong  wings  she  bears 
the  message  of  peace.  Peace  and  its  symbol,  the  clear, 
cloudless  sky,  are  the  theme  of  the  principal  songs. 
The  curlew,  in  the  early  morning,  stretches  its  neck  and 
its  wing  as  it  sits  on  the  roost,  and  utters  a  long  note. 
The  sound  is  considered  an  indication  that  the  day  will 
be  cloudless. 

Green  represents  the  verdure  of  the  earth;  blue  is 
the  color  of  the  sky;  red  is  the  color  of  the  sun,  typi 
fying  life.  The  eagle  is  the  bird  of  tireless  strength. 
The  owl  represents  night,  and  the  woodpecker  the 

90 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

day  and  sun.    These  two  birds  also  stand  for  life  and 
death. 

Wakoda  gives  to  man  the  sunshine,  the  clear  sky 
from  which  all  storms,  all  clouds  are  absent;  in  the 
Wa'  wa  ceremony,  they  stand  for  peace.  In  this  con 
nection,  black  storm  clouds  with  their  thunder  and 
lightning  are  emblematic  of  war. 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


PAWNEE  BELIEFS 

Pawnee 

AT  the  creation  of  the  world,  lesser  powers  were 
made,  because  Tira'wa-tius,  the  Mighty  Power, 
could  not  come  near  to  man,  or  be  seen  or 
felt  by  him.  These  lesser  powers  dwell  in  the  great 
circle  of  the  sky.  One  is  North  Star;  another  is  Brown 
Eagle.  The  Winds  were  the  first  of  the  lesser  powers 
to  come  near  man.  Therefore,  when  man  calls  for  aid, 
he  calls  first  to  the  Winds.  They  stand  at  the  four 
points,  and  guard  the  four  paths  down  which  the  lesser 
powers  come  when  they  help  mankind.  The  Winds  are 
always  near  us,  by  day  and  by  night. 

The  Sun  is  one  of  these  powers.  It  comes  from  the 
mighty  power  above;  therefore  it  has  great  strength. 

Mother  Earth  is  another  power.  She  is  very  near 
to  man.  From  her  we  get  food ;  upon  her  we  lie  down. 
We  live  and  walk  on  her.  We  could  not  exist  without 
Mother  Earth,  without  Sun,  and  without  the  Winds. 

Water  is  another  lesser  power.  Water  is  necessary 
to  mankind. 

Fire  made  by  rubbing  two  sticks  together  is  sacred. 

92 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

It  comes  direct  from  the  power  granted  Toharu,  vege 
tation,  in  answer  to  man's  prayer  as  he  rubs  the  sticks. 
When  the  flame  leaps  from  the  glowing  wood,  it  is 
the  word  of  the  fire.  The  power  has  come  near. 

Blue  is  the  color  of  the  sky,  the  dwelling  place  of 
Tira'  wahut,  the  circle  of  powers  which  watch  over 
man.  As  a  man  paints  the  blue  stick  he  sings. 

Red  is  the  color  of  the  sun.  Green  is  the  color  of 
Mother  Earth. 

Eagle  is  the  chief  of  day;  Owl  is  chief  of  the  night; 
Woodpecker  is  chief  of  the  trees;  Duck  is  chief  of 
the  water. 

The  ear  of  corn  represents  the  supernatural  power 
that  dwells  in  the  earth,  which  brings  forth  the  food 
that  sustains  life;  there  corn  is  spoken  of  as  h'Atira, 
"  mother  breathing  forth  life."  The  power  which 
dwells  in  the  earth,  which  enables  it  to  give  life  to  all 
growing  things,  comes  from  above.  Therefore,  in  the 
Hako,  the  Pawnee  ceremony,  the  ear  of  corn  is  painted 
with  blue. 

The  wildcat  was  made  to  live  in  the  forest.  He  has 
much  skill  and  ingenuity.  The  wildcat  shows  us  we 
must  think,  must  use  tact,  must  be  shrewd  when  we  set 
out  to  do  anything.  The  wildcat  is  one  of  the  sacred 
animals. 

Trees  grow  along  the  banks  of  the  streams;  we  can 

93 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

see  them  at  a  distance,  like  a  long  line,  and  we  can  see 
the  river  glistening  in  the  sunlight  in  its  length.  We 
sing  to  the  river,  and  when  we  come  nearer  and  see 
the  water  and  hear  it  rippling  along,  then  we  sing  to 
the  water,  the  water  that  ripples  as  it  runs. 

Hills  were  made  by  Tira'wa.  We  ascend  hills  when 
we  go  away  alone  to  pray.  From  the  top  of  a  hill  we 
can  look  over  the  country  to  see  if  there  are  enemies 
in  sight,  or  if  any  danger  is  near  us.  We  can  see  if 
we  are  to  meet  friends.  The  hills  help  man,  so  we  sing 
to  them. 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 


A  SONG  OF  HOSPITALITY  * 

Sioux 

I  am  mashing  the  berries, 
I  am  mashing  the  berries, 
They  say  travelers  are  coming  on  the  march, 
They  say  travelers  are  coming  on  the  march, 
I  stir  [the  berries]  around,  I  stir  them  around, 
I  take  them  up  with  a  spoon  of  buffalo  horn, 
I  take  them  up  with  a  spoon  of  buffalo  horn, 
And  I  carry  them,  I  carry  them  [to  the  strangers], 
And  I  carry  them,  I  carry  them  [to  the  strangers]. 

"  Word  comes  that  travelers  are  approaching  ...  on  the 
march  with  their  children,  dogs,  and  household  property.  She  stirs 
them  around  with  a  spoon  of  buffalo  horn  and  goes  to  offer  them  to 
the  strangers.  The  translation  is  an  exact  paraphrase  of  the  rhythmic 
repetition  of  the  original." 

*  James  Mooney, 


95 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


A  SONG  OF  THE  MARCH  * 

Sioux 

Now  set  up  the  tipi, 
Now  set  up  the  tipi, 
Around  the  bottom, 
Around  the  bottom, 
Drive  in  the  pegs, 
Drive  in  the  pegs, 
In  the  meantime  I  shall  cook, 
In  the  meantime  I  shall  cook. 

"  To  those  who  know  the  Indian  life  it  brings  up  a  vivid  picture 
of  a  prairie  band  on  the  march,  halting  at  noon  or  in  the  evening. 
As  soon  as  the  halt  is  called  by  some  convenient  stream,  the  women 
jump  down  and  release  the  horses  from  .  .  .  the  travois,  in  the 
olden  times",  and  hobble  them  to  prevent  them  from  wandering  away. 
Then,  while  some  of  the  wromen  set  up  the  tipi  poles,  draw  the  canvas 
over  them,  and  drive  in  the  pegs  around  the  bottom  and  the  wooden 
pins  up  the  side,  other  women  take  axes  and  buckets  and  go  down  to 
the  creek  for  wood  and  water.  When  they  return,  they  find  the  tipis 
set  up  and  the  blankets  spread  out  on  the  grass,  and  in  a  few  minutes 
fires  are  built  and  the  meal  is  in  preparation." 

*  James  Mooney. 

06 


A    .i'in\^  ^iiVN'i^  \o  itnh.' 


?••••*  of  ihi 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


A  SONG  OF  THE  MARCH  * 

Sioux 

Now  set  up   the  tipi, 
Now  set  up  the  tipi. 

SIOUAN  TEKTS 

A>tni"ii<'i   iHr*   foot^'llTl 

B.  Tent  of  Little  Cedar,  belonging  to  the  order  of  Sun  and  Moon  shamans. 

The  circle  represents  the  sun  in  which  stands  a  man  holding  deer  rattles 

C.  Those  persons  who  belong  to  the  Inke-sabe  sub-gens  known  as  Keepers 
of  the  Pipes  j  paint  their  tents  with  the  pipe  decorations 

D.  Used  by  a  member  of  the  order  of  Grizzly  Bear  shamans.    "When 
they  have  had  visions  of  grizzly  bears,  they  decorate  their  tents  accordingly." 
(George  Miller.)    The  bear  is  represented  as  emerging  from  his  den.   The  dark 
band  represents  the  ground  ^        •   — 

E.  Sketch  furnished  by  Chief  Dried  Buffalo.   The  circle  at  the  top  repre 
sents  a  bear's  cave.  Below  there  are  lightnings,  ihen  prints  of  hears   paws.   E 
also  represents  the  grizzly  bear  insion 

jump  down  and  release  the  horns  from          .     .  '  the  travels,  in  the 
olden  times,  and  hobble  them  to  prevent  them  from  wand- 
Then,  while  some  of  the  women  set  up  the  tipi  j^«-  en 
over  them,  and  drive  in  the  pegs  around  the  boctum  *»« 
pins  up  the  side,  other  women  take  axes  and  bucket,  and  <io  down  to 
the  creek  for  wood  and  water.    When  th*y  return,  rhey  find  the  tipis 
set  up  and  the  blankets  spread  out  on  the  *!•*»,  and  m  a  few  minutes 
";res  are  built  and  the  meal  is  in 


*  James  Mooney. 

06 


& 


rmtrrr 


Enlarged  from  plate  in  report  of  the  Bureau  of  Ethnology 


Courtesy   of   tlic   Smithsonian    Institution 


AN  ARAPAHOE  BED 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 


SONG  OF  THE  PRAIRIE  BREEZE  * 

Kiowa 

That  wind,  that  wind 
Shakes  my  tipi,  shakes  my  tipi, 
And  sings  a  song  for  me, 
And  sings  a  song  for  me. 

"  To  the  familiar,  this  little  song  brings  up  pleasant  memories  of 
the  prairie  camp  when  the  wind  is  whistling  through  the  tipi  poles 
and  blowing  the  flaps  about,  while  inside  the  fire  burns  bright  and 
the  song  and  the  game  go  round." 

*  James  Mooncy. 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


OLD-WOMAN-WHO-NEVER-DIES 

Man  dan 

IN  the  sun  lives  the  Lord  of  Life.  In  the  moon 
lives  Old-Woman-Who-Never-Dies.  She  has  six 
children,  three  sons  and  three  daughters.  These 
live  in  the  sky.  The  eldest  son  is  the  Day;  another  is 
the  Sun;  another  is  Night.  The  eldest  daughter  is  the 
Morning  Star,  called  "  The  Woman  who  Wears  a 
Plume";  another  is  a  star  which  circles  around  the 
polar  star,  and  she  is  called  a  The  Striped  Gourd  " ;  the 
third  is  Evening  Star. 

Every  spring  Old-Woman-Who-Never-Dies  sends 
the  wild  geese,  the  swans,  and  the  ducks.  When 
she  sends  the  wild  geese,  the  Indians  plant  their  corn 
and  Old-Woman-Who-Never-Dies  makes  it  grow. 
When  eleven  wild  geese  are  found  together,  the  Indians 
know  the  corn  crop  will  be  very  large.  The  swans 
mean  that  the  Indians  must  plant  gourds;  the  ducks, 
that  they  must  plant  beans. 

Indians  always  save  dried  meat  for  these  wild  birds, 
so  when  they  come  in  the  spring  they  may  have  a  corn 
feast.  They  build  scaffolds  of  many  poles,  three  or 

98 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

four  rows,  and  one  above  the  others.  On  this  they  hang 
the  meat.  Then  the  old  women  in  the  village,  each  one 
with  a  stick,  meet  around  the  scaffold.  In  one  end  of 
the  stick  is  an  ear  of  corn.  Sitting  in  a  circle,  they 
plant  their  sticks  in  the  ground  in  front  of  them.  Then 
they  dance  around  the  scaffolds  while  the  old  men  beat 
the  drums  and  rattle  the  gourds. 

Afterwards  the  old  women  in  the  village  are  allowed 
to  eat  the  dried  meat. 

In  the  fall  they  hold  another  corn  feast,  after  the 
corn  is  ripe.  This  is  so  that  Old-Woman-Who-Never- 
Dies  may  send  the  buffalo  herds  to  them.  Each 
woman  carries  the  entire  cornstalk,  with  the  ears  at 
tached,  just  as  it  was  pulled  up  by  the  roots.  Then 
they  call  on  Old-Woman-Who-Never-Dies  and  say, 

"  Mother,  pity  us.  Do  not  send  the  cold  too  soon, 
or  we  may  not  have  enough  meat.  Mother,  do  not  let 
the  game  depart,  so  that  we  may  have  enough  for 
winter." 

In  the  fall,  when  the  birds  go  south  to  Old- Woman, 
they  take  back  the  dried  meat  hung  on  the  scaffolds, 
because  Old-Woman  is  very  fond  of  it. 

Old-Woman-Who-Never-Dies  has  large  patches  of 
corn,  kept  for  her  by  the  great  stag  and  by  the  white- 
tailed  stag.  Blackbirds  also  help  her  guard  her  corn 
patches.  The  corn  patches  are  large,  therefore  the  Old 

99 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

Woman  has  the  help  also  of  the  mice  and  the  moles. 
In  the  spring  the  birds  go  north,  back  to  Old-Man- 
Who-Never-Dies. 

In  the  olden  time,  Old-Woman-Who-Never-Dies 
lived  near  the  Little  Missouri.  Sometimes  the  Indians 
visited  her.  One  day  twelve  came,  and  she  offered 
them  only  a  small  kettle  of  corn.  They  were  very 
hungry  and  the  kettle  was  very  small.  But  as  soon  as 
it  was  empty,  it  at  once  became  filled  again,  so  all  the 
Indians  had  enough  to  eat. 


100 


OE  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 


LEGEND  OF  THE  CORN 

Arikara 

THE  Arikara  were  the  first  to  find  the  maize. 
A  young  man  went  out  hunting.  He  came  to 
a  high  hill.  Looking  down  a  valley,  he  saw  a 
buffalo  bull  near  where  two  rivers  joined.  When  the 
young  man  looked  to  see  how  he  could  kill  the  buffalo, 
he  saw  how  beautiful  the  country  was.  The  banks  of 
the  two  rivers  were  low,  with  many  trees.  The  buffalo 
faced  the  north ;  therefore  he  could  not  get  within  bow 
shot  of  him.  He  thought  he  should  wait  until  the  buf 
falo  mored  close  to  the  banks  of  one  of  the  rivers,  or  to 
a  ravine  where  there  were  bushes  and  shrubs.  So  the 
young  man  waited.  The  sun  went  down  before  the  buf 
falo  moved. 

Nearly  all  night  the  hunter  lay  awake.  He  had  little 
food.  He  felt  sorry  he  could  not  reach  the  buffalo. 
Before  the  sun  rose,  he  hurried  to  the  top  of  the  hill. 
The  buffalo  stood  just  where  it  had,  but  it  faced  the 
east.  Again  he  waited  for  it  to  move.  He  waited  all 
day.  RVhen  the  sun  went  down,  the  buffalo  still  stood 
in  the  same  place. 

101 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

Nearly  all  night  the  young  man  lay  awake.  He  had 
very  little  food  indeed.  The  next  morning  he  rose 
early,  and  came  to  the  top  of  the  hill,  just  as  the  sun 
came  up.  The  buffalo  was  still  standing  in  the  same 
place;  but  now  it  faced  the  south.  He  waited  all  day. 
Then  the  sun  went  down. 

Now  the  next  morning,  when  he  arose  early,  the 
buffalo  stood  in  the  same  place;  this  time  it  faced  the 
west.  All  day  the  young  man  waited,  but  the  buffalo 
did  not  move. 

Now  the  young  man  thought,  "  Why  does  not  the 
buffalo  move?  "  He  saw  it  did  not  drink,  did  not  eat, 
did  not  sleep.  He  thought  some  power  must  be  in 
fluencing  it. 

Now  the  next  morning,  the  young  man  hurried  to 
the  top  of  the  hill.  The  sun  had  risen  and  everything 
was  light.  The  buffalo  was  gone.  Then  he  saw  where 
the  buffalo  had  stood  there  was  a  strange  bush. 

He  went  to  the  place ;  then  he  saw  it  was  a  plant.  He 
looked  for  the  tracks  of  the  buffalo.  He  saw  where  it 
had  turned  to  the  east  and  to  the  south  and  to  the  west. 
In  the  center  there  was  one  track;  out  of  it  the  small 
plant  had  grown.  There  was  no  track  to  show  where 
the  buffalo  had  left  the  place. 

Then  the  hunter  hurried  to  his  village.  He  told 
the  chiefs  and  the  people  of  the  strange  buffalo  and  the 

102 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

plant.  So  all  the  chiefs  and  the  people  came  to  the 
place.  They  saw  the  tracks  of  the  buffalo  as  he  had 
stood,  but  there  were  no  tracks  of  his  coming  or  going. 

So  all  the  people  knew  that  Wahkoda  had  given  this 
strange  plant  to  the  people.  They  knew  of  other  plants 
they  might  eat.  They  knew  there  was  a  time  when  each 
plant  was  ripe.  So  they  watched  the  strange  plant; 
they  guarded  it  and  protected  it. 

Then  a  flower  appeared  on  the  plant.  Afterwards, 
at  one  of  the  joints,  a  new  part  of  the  plant  pushed  out. 
It  had  hair.  At  first  the  hair  was  green;  then  it  was 
brown.  Then  the  people  thought,  "  Perhaps  this  fruit 
is  ripe."  But  they  did  not  dare  touch  it.  They  met 
together.  They  looked  at  the  plant. 

Then  a  young  man  said,  "  My  life  has  not  been  good. 
If  any  evil  comes  to  me,  it  will  not  matter." 

So  the  people  were  willing,  and  the  young  man  put 
his  hand  on  the  plant  and  then  on  its  fruit.  He  grasped 
the  fruit  boldly.  He  said  to  the  people,  "  It  is  solid.  It 
is  ripe."  Then  he  pulled  apart  the  husks,  and  said,  "  It 
is  red." 

He  took  a  few  of  the  grains  and  showed  them  to  the 
people.  He  ate  some.  He  did  not  die.  So  the  people 
knew  Wahkoda  had  sent  this  plant  to  them  for  food. 

Now  in  the  fall,  when  the  prairie  grass  turned  brown, 
the  leaves  of  this  plant  turned  brown  also.  Then  the 

103 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

fruit  was  plucked,  and  put  away.  After  the  winter  was 
over,  the  kernels  were  divided.  There  were  four  to 
each  family. 

Then  the  people  moved  the  lodges  to  the  place  where 
the  plant  had  grown.  When  the  hills  became  green, 
they  planted  the  seed  of  the  strange  plant.  But  first 
they  built  little  mounds  like  the  one  out  of  which  it 
grew.  So  the  fruit  grew  and  ripened.  It  had  many 
colors;  red,  and  yellow,  and  white,  and  blue. 

Then  the  next  year  there  were  many  plants  and  many 
ears  of  corn.  So  they  sent  to  other  tribes.  They  in 
vited  them  to  visit  them  and  gave  them  of  the  new 
food.  Thus  the  Omahas  came  to  have  corn. 


104 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 


TRADITION  OF  THE  FINDING  OF  HORSES 

Ponca 

LONG  ago,  the  people  followed  the  Missouri 
River  northward  to  a  place  where  they  could 
step  over  the  water.    Then  they  turned,  and 
were  going   across   the   land.      Then   they  met  the 
Padouca  [Comanche], 

At  that  time  the  Ponca  had  no  animals  but  dogs  to 
help  them  carry  burdens.  Wherever  they  went  they 
had  to  go  on  foot,  but  the  people  were  strong  and  fleet. 
They  could  run  a  great  distance  and  not  be  weary.  One 
day  when  they  were  hunting  buffalo,  they  met  the 
Padouca.  Then  they  had  many  battles  with  them. 
The  Padouca  were  mounted  on  strange  animals.  At 
first  the  Ponca  thought  it  was  all  one  animal.  The 
Padouca  had  bows  made  from  elk  horn.  They  were 
not  very  long,  nor  were  they  very  strong.  They  boiled 
the  horn  until  it  was  soft;  then  they  scraped  it,  and 
bound  it  together,  with  sinews  and  glue.  Their  arrows 
were  tipped  with  bone.  They  fought  also  with  a  stone 
battle-ax.  The  handle  was  a  sapling;  a  grooved  stone 
ax  head,  pointed  at  both  ends,  was  fastened  to  this  with 

105 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

rawhides.  So  the  Padouca  were  terrible  fighters. 
They  protected  their  horses  with  a  covering  of  thick 
rawhide  cut  in  round  pieces,  and  put  together  like 
fish  scales.  They  spread  glue  over  the  outside  and  then 
sand.  So  when  the  Comanches  fought,  the  arrows  of 
their  enemies  glanced  oft  the  horses7  armor.  Then  the 
Padouca  made  breastplates  for  themselves  like  those  of 
the  horses. 

When  the  Ponca  met  these  terrible  warriors,  they 
were  afraid.  They  thought  man  and  horse  were  one. 
They  named  it  "  Kawa  "  because  they  noticed  the  odor 
of  the  horse.  Then  they  knew  by  this  odor  when  the 
Padouca  were  coming.  When  a  man  smelled  the 
horses,  he  would  run  to  the  camp  and  say,  "  The  wind 
tells  us  the  Kawa  are  coming."  Then  the  Ponca  would 
make  ready  to  defend  themselves.  The  Ponca  had 
many  battles  with  the  Comanches.  They  did  not  know 
how  to  use  the  animals,  so  they  killed  the  horses  as  well 
as  the  men.  Neither  could  they  find  out  where  the 
Padouca  lived. 

One  day  the  two  tribes  had  a  great  battle.  The 
people  fought  all  day.  Sometimes  the  Ponca  were 
driven  back,  sometimes  the  Padouca.  Then  at  last  a 
Ponca  shot  a  Padouca  so  that  he  fell  from  his  horse. 
Then  the  battle  ceased.  After  this,  one  of  the  Padouca 
came  toward  the  Ponca  and  said  in  plain  Ponca, 

106 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

"  Who  are  you?    What  do  you  call  yourselves?  " 

The  Ponca  replied,  "  We  call  ourselves  Ponca.  You 
speak  our  language,  are  you  of  our  tribe?  " 

The  other  said,  "  No.  I  speak  your  language  as  a 
gift  from  a  Ponca  spirit.  One  day  I  lay  on  a  Ponca 
grave  after  a  battle.  Then  a  man  rose  from  the  grave 
and  spoke  to  me.  So  I  know  your  language." 

Then  it  was  agreed  to  make  peace.  The  tribes 
visited  each  other.  The  Ponca  traded  their  bows  and 
arrows  for  horses.  They  knew  where  the  Padouca 
lived.  Then  the  Padouca  taught  the  Ponca  how  to 
ride,  and  how  to  put  burdens  on  the  horses. 

When  the  Ponca  had  learned  how  to  ride,  and  had 
horses,  they  went  to  war  again.  They  attacked  the 
Padouca  in  their  own  village.  They  attacked  them  so 
many  times  and  stole  so  many  of  their  horses  that  at  last 
the  Padouca  fled.  We  do  not  know  where  they  went. 
The  Ponca  followed  the  Platte  River  toward  the  rising 
sun;  then  they  came  back  to  the  Missouri,  and  they 
brought  their  horses  with  them. 


I0f 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


DAKOTA  BELIEFS  AND  CUSTOMS 

Dakota 

THE  Dakotas  have  names  for  the  natural  divi 
sions  of  time.  Their  years  they  count  by  win 
ters.  A  man  is  so  many  winters  old,  or  so  many 
winters  have  passed  since  such  an  event.  When  one 
goes  on  a  journey,  he  says  he  will  be  back  in  so  many 
sleeps.  They  have  no  division  of  time  into  weeks,  and 
their  months  are  literally  by  moons. 

The  Dakotas  believe  that  when  the  moon  is  full, 
a  great  number  of  small  mice  begin  to  nibble  on  one 
side.  They  nibble  until  they  eat  up  the  entire  moon. 
So  when  the  new  moon  begins  to  grow,  it  is  to  them 
really  a  new  moon;  the  old  one  has  been  eaten  up. 

The  Dakota  mother  loves  her  baby  as  well  as  the 
white  woman  does  hers.  When  the  spirit  takes  its  flight 
a  wild  howl  goes  up  from  the  tent.  The  baby  form 
is  wrapped  in  the  best  buffalo  calfskin,  or  the  best  red 
blanket,  and  laid  away  on  a  scaffold  or  on  the  branch 
of  some  tree.  There  the  mother  goes  with  disheveled 
hair  and  oldest  clothes,  the  best  ones  having  been  given 
away,  and  wails  out  her  sorrow  in  the  twilight,  wailing 

108 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

often  until  far  into  the  cold  night.  The  nice  kettle  of 
hominy  is  prepared,  and  carried  to  the  scaffold  where 
the  spirit  hovers  for  several  days.  When  the  kettle  has 
remained  there  long  enough  for  the  <wanagi,  the  spirit, 
to  inhale  the  food,  the  little  children  of  the  village  are 
invited  to  eat  up  the  rest. 

When  a  hunter  dies,  the  last  act  of  the  medicine  man 
is  to  sing  a  song  to  conduct  the  spirit  over  the  ivanagi 
tacanku,  the  spirit's  road,  as  the  Milky  Way  is  called. 
The  friends  give  away  their  good  clothes.  They  wear 
ragged  clothes,  with  bare  feet,  and  ashes  on  their  hands. 
Both  within  and  without  the  lodge  there  is  a  great  wail 
ing.  "  Micinski,  micinski,  my  son,  my  son/'  is -the 
lamentation  in  Dakota  land  as  it  was  in  Israel. 

The  dead  hunter  is  wrapped  in  the  most  beautifully 
painted  buffalo  robe,  or  in  the  newest  red  and  blue 
blanket.  Young  men  are  called  and  feasted,  and  their 
duty  it  is  to  carry  the  body  away  and  place  it  on  a  scaf 
fold,  for  the  dead  remain  not  long  in  the  tepee.  In 
more  recent  times  they  bury  it.  The  custom  of  burial 
immediately  after  death,  howeverr  was  not  a  Dakota 
custom.  The  spirit  did  not  bid  farewell  to  the  body 
for  several  days  after  death,  and  so  the  body  was  laid 
on  a  high  scaffold  or  in  some  tree  crotch  where  it  would 
have  a  good  view  of  the  surrounding  country,  and  also 
be  safe  from  wolves. 

109 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


WHY  THE  TETONS  BURY  ON  SCAFFOLDS 

Teton 

IN  the  olden  days,  the  people  buried  some  men  on  a 
hill.  Then  they  removed  their  camp  to  another 
place.  Many  winters  afterwards,  a  man  visited 
the  hill;  but  there  were  no  graves  there.  So  he  told 
the  people. 

Then  many  men  came  and  dug  far  down  into  the 
hill.  By  and  by  a  man  said,  "  There  is  a  road  here." 

There  they  found  a  road,  a  tunnel,  large  enough  for 
men  to  walk,  stooping.  Other  roads  there  were.  They 
followed  the  first  road  and  they  came  to  a  place  where 
a  strange  animal  had  dragged  the  bodies  of  those  who 
were  buried  in  the  hill. 

Therefore  the  people  refused  to  bury  their  dead  in 
the  ground.  They  bury  them  on  scaffolds  where  the 
animals  cannot  reach  them.* 

*  At  the  present  day,  the  Teton  gives  three  reasons  for  not  burying 
in  the  ground:  animals  or  persons  might  walk  over  the  graves;  the 
dead  might  lie  in  mud  and  water  after  rain  or  snow;  wolves  might 
trouble  the  bodies. 

no 


-  t 


•    i. 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 


THE  GHOST'S  RESENTMENT 

Dakota 


L}NG,  long  ago,  a  Dakota  died  and  his  parents 
made  a  death  lodge  for  him  on  the  bluff.     In 
the  lodge  they  made  a  grave  scaffold,  on  which 
they  laid  the  body  of  their  son. 

Now  in  that  same  village  of  Dakotas  lived  a  young 
married  man.  His  father  lived  with  him,  and  there 
were  two  old  men  who  used  to  visit  the  father  and 
smoke  with  him,  and  talk  with  him  about  many  things. 

One  night  the  father  of  the  young  man  said,  "  My 
friends,  let  us  go  to  the  death  scaffold  and  cut  off  sum 
mer  robes  for  ourselves  from  the  tent  skins." 

The  young  man  said,  "  No!  Do  not  do  so.  It  was 
a  pity  the  young  man  died,  and  as  his  parents  had  noth 
ing  else  to  give  up  for  him  they  made  the  death  lodge 
and  left  it  there." 

"  What  use  can  he  get  from  the  tent?  "  asked  the 
father.  "  We  have  no  robes,  so  we  wish  to  use  part  of 
the  tent  skins  for  ourselves." 

"Well,  then,"  said  the  young  man.  "Go  as  you 
have  said  and  we  shall  see  what  will  happen." 

in 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

The  old  men  arose  without  saying  a  word  and  went 
to  the  lodge  on  the  bluff.  As  soon  as  they  were  gone, 
the  young  man  said,  "  Oh,  wife,  get  my  piece  of  white 
clay.  I  must  scare  one  of  those  old  men  nearly  to 
death." 

But  the  woman  was  unwilling,  saying,  "  Let  them 
alone.  They  hare  no  robes.  Let  them  cut  off  robes  for 
themselves." 

But  as  the  husband  would  not  stop  talking  about  it, 
the  wife  got  the  piece  of  white  clay  for  him.  He 
whitened  his  whole  body  and  his  face  and  hands.  Then 
he  went  to  the  lodge  in  a  course  parallel  to  that  taken 
by  the  old  men.  He  went  very  quickly  and  reached 
there  before  they  did. 

He  climbed  the  scaffold  and  lay  on  it,  thrusting  his 
head  out  through  the  tent  skins  just  above  the  door 
way. 

At  last  the  old  men  approached,  ascending  the  hill, 
and  talking  together  in  a  low  tone.  The  young  man 
lay  still,  listening  to  them.  When  they  reached  the 
lodge,  they  sat  down. 

The  leader  said,  "  Fill  your  pipe,  friends.  We  must 
smoke  this  last  time  with  our  friend  up  there." 

"  Yes,  your  friend  has  spoken  well.  That  should  be 
done,"  answered  one  of  them. 

So  he  filled  the  pipe.    He  drew  a  whiff,  and  when 

112 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

the  fire  glowed,  he  turned  the  pipestem  toward  the 
seam  of  the  skins  above  the  doorway.  He  looked  up 
towards  the  sky,  saying,  "  Ho,  friend,  here  is  the  pipe. 
We  must  smoke  with  you  this  last  time.  And  then  we 
must  separate.  Here  is  the  pipe." 

As  he  said  this,  he  gazed  above  the  doorway  and  saw 
a  head  looking  out  from  the  tent. 

"  Oh!  My  friends!"  he  cried.  Look  at  this  place 
behind  you." 

When  the  two  looked,  they  said,  "  Really!  Friends, 
it  is  he!"  And  all  fled. 

Then  the  young  man  leaped  down  and  pursued  them. 
Two  of  them  fell  to  the  ground  in  terror,  but  he  did 
not  disturb  them,  going  on  in  pursuit  of  his  father. 
When  the  old  man  was  overtaken,  he  fell  to  the  ground. 
He  was  terrified.  The  young  man  sat  astride  of  him. 
He  said,  "You  have  been  very  disobedient!  Fill  the 
pipe  for  me! " 

The  old  man  said,  "  Oh!  My  grandchild!  Oh!  My 
grandchild!"  hoping  that  the  ghost  would  pity  him. 
Then  he  filled  the  pipe  as  he  lay  stretched  there  and 
gave  it  to  his  son. 

The  young  man  smoked.  When  he  stopped  smok 
ing,  the  old  man  said,  "Oh!  My  grandchild!  Oh! 
My  grandchild!  Pity  me,  and  let  me  go.  We  thought 
we  must  smoke  with  you  this  last  time,  so  we  went 

113 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

to  the  place  where  you  were.     Oh!  My  grandchild, 
pity  me." 

"  If  that  be  so,  arise  and  extend  your  hands  to  me 
in  entreaty,"  said  the  young  man. 

The  old  man  arose  and  did  so,  saying  continually, 
"Oh!  My  grandchild!  Oh!  My  grandchild!  " 

It  was  as  much  as  the  young  man  could  do  to  keep 
from  laughing.  At  length  he  said,  "Well!  Begone! 
Beware  lest  you  come  again  and  go  around  my  resting 
place  very  often!  Do  not  visit  it  again!  "  Then  he  let 
the  old  man  go. 

On  returning  to  the  burial  lodge,  he  found  the  two 
old  men  still  lying  where  they  had  fallen.  When  he 
approached  them,  they  slipped  off,  with  their  heads 
covered,  as  they  were  terrified,  and  he  let  them  go 
undisturbed.  When  they  had  gone,  the  young  man  hur 
ried  home.  He  reached  there  first  and  after  washing 
himself,  reclined  at  full  length. 

He  said  to  his  wife,  "  When  they  return,  be  sure  not 
to  laugh.  Make  an  effort  to  control  yourself.  I  came 
very  near  making  them  die  of  fright." 

When  the  old  men  returned,  the  young  people  seemed 
to  be  asleep.  The  old  men  did  not  lie  down;  all  sat 
in  silence,  smoking  together  until  daylight.  When  the 
young  man  arose  in  the  morning,  the  old  men  appeared 
very  sorrowful. 

m 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

Then  he  said,  "  Give  me  one  of  the  robes  that  you 
and  your  friends  cut  off  and  brought  back.  I,  too,  have 
no  robe  at  all." 

His  father  said,  "  Why!  We  went  there,  but  we  did 
not  get  anything  at  all.  We  were  attacked.  We  came 
very  near  being  killed." 

To  this  the  son  replied,  "Why!  I  was  unwilling 
for  this  to  happen,  so  I  said,  '  Do  not  go,'  but  you  paid 
no  attention  to  me,  and  went.  But  now  you  think 
differently  and  you  weep." 

When  it  was  night,  the  young  man  said,  "  Go  again 
and  make  another  attempt.  Bring  back  a  piece  for  me, 
as  I  have  no  robe  at  all." 

The  old  men  were  unwilling  to  go  again,  and  they 
lost  their  patience,  as  he  teased  them  so  often. 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

THE  FORKED  ROADS 

Omaha 

LONG  ago,  in  the  days  of  the  grandfathers,  a  man 
died  and  was  buried  by  his  village.    For  four 
nights  his  ghost  had  to  walk  a  very  dark  trail. 
Then  he  reached  the  Milky  Way  and  there  was  plenty 
of  light.     For  this  reason,  people  ought  to  keep  the 
funeral  fires  lighted  for  four  nights,  so  the  spirit  will 
not  walk  in  the  dark  trail. 

The  spirit  walked  along  the  Milky  Way.  At  last 
he  came  to  a  point  where  the  trail  forked.  There  sat 
an  old  man.  He  was  dressed  in  a  buffalo  robe,  with 
the  hair  on  the  outside.  He  pointed  to  each  ghost  the 
road  he  was  to  take.  One  was  short  and  led  to  the  land 
of  good  ghosts.  The  other  was  very  long;  along  it  the 
ghosts  went  wailing. 

The  spirits  of  suicides  cannot  travel  either  road. 
They  must  hover  over  their  graves.  For  them  there  is 
no  future,  life. 

A  murderer  is  never  happy  after  he  dies.  Ghosts 
surround  him  and  keep  up  a  constant  whistling.  He  is 
always  hungry,  though  he  eat  much  food.  He  is  never 
allowed  to  go  where  he  pleases,  lest  high  winds  arise 
and  sweep  down  upon  the  others. 

116 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 


TATTOOED  GHOSTS 

Dakota 

IF  a  ghost  wishes  to  walk  the  Ghost  Road  safely, 
then  during  living  the  person  must  tattoo  himself 
either  in  the  forehead  or  on  the  wrists.  An  old 
woman  sits  in  the  Ghost  Road  and  she  examines  each 
ghost  who  passes.  If  she  finds  the  tattoo  marks,  then 
the  ghost  travels  on  at  once  to  Many  Lodges.  If  the 
tattoo  marks  are  not  there,  the  old  woman  pushes  the 
ghost  from  a  cloud  and  he  falls  to  this  world  again. 
Then  he  wanders  all  over  the  world.  He  is  never  quiet. 
He  goes  about  whistling,  with  no  lodge,  and  people  are 
afraid  of  him. 

When  these  ghosts  visit  the  sick,  they  are  driven 
away  by  smoke  from  the  sacred  cedar,  or  else  cedar  is 
laid  outside  the  lodge.  When  a  person  hears  a  ghost 
whistling  he  goes  outside  the  lodge  and  makes  a  loud 
noise.  If  a  ghost  calls  to  a  loved  one  and  he  answers, 
then  he  is  sure  to  die  soon. 

If  a  ghost  meets  a  man  who  is  alone,  he  will  catch 
hold  of  him  and  pull  his  mouth  and  eyes  until  they  are 
crooked.  Indeed,  a  ghost  did  this  to  a  person  who  only 

dreamed  about  one. 

117 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


A  GHOST  STORY 

Ponca 

A  GREAT  many  persons  went  on  the  warpath. 
They  were  Ponca.    As  they  approached  the  foe, 
they  camped  for  the  night.     They  kindled  a 
fire.    It  was  during  the  night.    After  kindling  a  bright 
fire,  they  sat  down;  they  made  the  fire  burn  very 
brightly.    Rejoicing  greatly,  they  sat  eating.    Very  sud 
denly  a  person  sang. 

"  Keep  quiet.  Push  the  ashes  over  that  fire.  Seize 
your  bow  in  silence!  "  said  their  leader.  All  took  their 
bows.  And  they  departed  to  surround  him.  They 
made  the  circle  smaller  and  smaller,  and  commenced 
at  once  to  come  together.  And  still  he  stood  singing; 
he  did  not  stir  at  all.  At  length  they  went  very  near  to 
the  tree.  And  when  they  drew  very  near  to  it,  the 
singer  ceased  his  song.  When  they  had  reached  the 
tree,  bones  lay  there  in  a  pile.  Human  bones  were 
piled  there  at  the  foot  of  the  tree.  When  persons  die, 
the  Dakotas  usually  suspend  the  bodies  in  trees. 


118 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 


THE  GHOST  AND  THE  TRAVELER 

Teton 

ONCE  an  Indian  alone  was  just  at  the  edge  of 
a  forest.  Then  the  Thunder  Beings  raised  a 
great  storm.  So  he  remained  there  for  the 
night.  After  it  was  dark,  he  noticed  a  light  in  the 
woods.  When  he  reached  the  spot,  behold!  there  was 
a  sweat  lodge,  in  which  were  two  persons  talking. 

One* said,  "Friend,  someone  has  come  and  stands 
without.  Let  us  invite  him  to  share  our  food." 

Then  the  Indian  fled  because  they  were  ghosts.  But 
they  followed  him.  He  looked  back  now  and  then, 
but  he  could  not  see  them. 

All  at  once  he  heard  the  cry  of  a  woman.  He  was 
glad  to  have  company.  But  the  moment  he  thought 
about  the  woman,  she  appeared.  She  said,  "  I  have 
come  because  you  have  just  wished  to  have  company." 

This  frightened  the  man.  The  woman  said,  "  Do  not 
fear  me;  else  you  will  never  see  me  again." 

They  journeyed  until  daybreak.  The  man  looked  at 
her.  She  seemed  to  have  no  legs,  yet  she  walked  with 
out  any  effort.  Then  the  man  thought,  "  What  if  she 
should  choke  me."  Immediately  the  ghost  vanished. 

119 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


THE  MAN  WHO  SHOT  A  GHOST 

Teton 

IN  the  olden  time,  a  man  was  traveling  alone,  and 
in  a  forest  he  killed  several  rabbits.  After  sunset 
he  was  in  the  midst  of  the  forest.  He  had  to  spend 
the  night  there,  so  he  made  a  fire. 

He  thought  this :  "  Should  I  meet  any  danger  by 
and  by,  I  will  shoot.  I  am  a  man  who  ought  not  to 
regard  anything." 

He  cooked  a  rabbit,  so  he  was  no  longer  hungry. 
Just  then  he  heard  many  voices.  They  were  talking 
about  their  own  affairs.  But  the  man  could  see  no  one. 

So  he  thought:  "  It  seems  now  that  at  last  I  have 
encountered  ghosts." 

Then  he  went  and  lay  under  a  fallen  tree,  which  was 
a  great  distance  from  the  fire.  They  came  around  him 
and  whistled,  "  Hyu!  hyu!  hyu!  " 

"  He  has  gone  yonder,"  said  one  of  the  ghosts.  Then 
they  came  and  stood  around  the  man,  just  as  people  do 
when  they  hunt  rabbits.  The  man  lay  flat  beneath  the 
fallen  tree,  and  one  ghost  came  and  climbed  on  the 
trunk  of  that  tree.  Suddenly  the  ghost  gave  the  cry 

120 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

that  a  man  does  when  he  hits  an  enemy,  "  A-he!  "  Then 
the  ghost  kicked  the  man  in  the  back. 

Before  the  ghost  could  get  away,  very  suddenly  the 
man  shot  at  him  and  wounded  him  in  the  legs.  So  the 
ghost  cried  as  men  do  in  pain,  "Au!  au!  au!"  At  last 
he  went  off,  crying  as  women  do,  "  Yun!  yun!  yun! 
yun!" 

The  other  ghosts  said  to  him,  "  Where  did  he  shoot?  " 

The  wounded  ghost  said,  "  He  shot  me  through  the 
head  and  I  have  come  apart."  Then  the  other  ghosts 
were  wailing  on  the  hillside. 

The  man  decided  he  would  go  to  the  place  where 
the  ghosts  were  wailing.  So  when  day  came,  he  went 
there.  He  found  some  graves.  Into  one  of  them  a  wolf 
had  dug,  so  that  the  bones  could  be  seen;  and  there 
was  a  wound  in  the  skull. 


121 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


THE  INDIAN  WHO  WRESTLED  WITH 
A  GHOST 

Teton 

A   YOUNG  man  went  alone  on  the  warpath.    At 
length  he  reached  a  wood.    One  day,  as  he  was 
going  along,  he  heard  a  voice.     He  said,  "  I 
shall  have  company."    As  he  was  approaching  a  forest, 
he  heard  some  one  halloo.    Behold,  it  was  an  owl. 

By  and  by  he  drew  near  another  wood,  and  as  night 
was  coming  on  he  lay  down  to  rest.  At  the  edge  of  the 
trees  he  lay  down  in  the  open  air.  At  midnight  he 
was  aroused  by  the  voice  of  a  woman.  She  was  wailing, 
"  My  son!  my  son! "  Still  he  remained  where  he  was, 
and  put  more  wood  on  the  fire.  He  lay  with  his  back 
to  the  fire.  He  tore  a  hole  in  his  blanket  large  enough 
to  peep  through. 

Soon  he  heard  twigs  break  under  the  feet  of  one 
approaching,  so  he  looked  through  his  blanket  with 
out  rising.  Behold,  a  woman  of  the  olden  days  was 
coming.  She  wore  a  skin  dress  with  long  fringe.  A 
buffalo  robe  was  fastened  around  her  at  the  waist. 

122 


V 


HtfI)|BiI 

m 
m 


Courtesy  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution 


BLACK  COYOTE 
Arapahoe  chief,  and  a  leadei  in  the  ghost-dance 


O 

K 
O 


„,, 


s    o 
-    * 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

Her  necklace  was  of  very  large  beads,  and  her  leggings 
were  covered  with  beads  or  porcupine  work.  Her 
robe  was  drawn  over  her  head  and  she  was  snuffing  as 
she  came. 

The  man  lay  with  his  legs  stretched  out,  and  she 
stood  by  him.  She  took  him  by  one  foot,  which  she 
raised  very  slowly.  When  she  let  it  go,  it  fell  with  a 
thud  as  though  he  were  dead.  She  raised  it  a  second 
time;  then  a  third  time.  Still  the  man  did  not  move. 
Then  the  woman  pulled  a  very  rusty  knife  from  the 
front  of  her  belt,  seized  his  foot  suddenly  and  was  about 
to  lift  it  and  cut  it,  when  up  sprang  the  man.  He  said, 
"  What  are  you  doing?  "  Then  he  shot  at  her  sud 
denly.  She  ran  into  the  forest  screaming,  "  Yunf  yun! 
yun!  yun!  yun!  yun!  "  She  plunged  into  the  forest  and 
was  seen  no  more. 

Again  the  man  covered  his  head  with  his  blanket  but 
he  did  not  sleep.  When  day  came,  he  raised  his  eyes. 
Behold,  there  was  a  burial  scaffold,  with  the  blankets 
all  ragged  and  dangling.  He  thought,  "  Was  this  the 
ghost  that  came  to  me?  " 

Again  he  came  to  a  wood  where  he  had  to  remain 
for  the  night.  He  started  a  fire.  As  he  sat  there,  sud 
denly  he  heard  someone  singing.  He  made  the  woods 
ring.  The  man  shouted  to  the  singer,  but  no  answer 
was  paid.  The  man  had  a  small  quantity  of  ivasna, 

123 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

which  was  grease  mixed  with  pounded  buffalo  meat, 
and  wild  cherry;  he  also  had  plenty  of  tobacco. 

So  when  the  singer  came  and  asked  him  for  food, 
the  man  said,  "  I  have  nothing."  The  ghost  said, 
"  Not  so ;  I  know  you  have  some  wasna" 

Then  the  man  gave  some  of  it  to  the  ghost  and  filled 
his  pipe.  After  the  meal,  when  the  stranger  took  the 
pipe  and  held  it  by  the  stem,  the  traveler  saw  that  it 
was  nothing  but  bones.  There  was  no  flesh.  Then 
the  stranger's  robe  dropped  back  from  his  shoulders. 
Behold,  all  his  ribs  were  visible.  There  was  no  flesh  on 
them.  The  ghost  did  not  open  his  lips  when  he  smoked. 
The  smoke  came  pouring  out  through  his  ribs. 

When  he  had  finished  smoking,  the  ghost  said,  "  Ho! 
we  must  wrestle  together.  If  you  can  throw  me,  you 
shall  kill  the  enemy  without  hindrance  and  steal  some 
horses." 

The  young  man  agreed.  But  first  he  threw  an  arm 
ful  of  brush  on  the  fire.  He  put  plenty  of  brush  near 
the  fire. 

Then  the  ghost  rushed  at  the  man.  He  seized  him 
with  his  bony  hands,  which  was  very  painful;  but  this 
mattered  not.  The  man  tried  to  push  off  the  ghost, 
whose  legs  were  very  powerful.  When  the  ghost  was 
pulled  near  the  fire,  he  became  weak;  but  when  he 
pulled  the  young  man  toward  the  darkness,  he  became 

124 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

strong.  As  the  fire  got  low,  the  strength  of  the  ghost 
increased.  Just  as  the  man  began  to  get  weary,  the 
day  broke.  Then  the  struggle  began  again.  As  they 
drew  near  the  fire  again,  the  man  made  a  last  effort; 
with  his  foot  he  pushed  more  brush  into  the  fire.  The 
fire  blazed  up  again  suddenly.  Then  the  ghost  fell,  just 
as  if  he  was  coming  to  pieces. 

So  the  man  won  in  wrestling.  Also  he  killed  his 
enemy  and  stole  some  horses.  It  came  out  just  as  the 
ghost  said.  That  is  why  people  believe  what  ghosts 
say. 


125 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


THE  WAKANDA,  OR  WATER  GOD 

Yankton 

A  MAN  and  his  wife  had  only  one  child,  they  say, 
whom  they  loved  very  much.  He  used  to  go 
playing  every  day,  they  say;  and  one  day  he 
fell  into  the  water.  His  father  and  mother  and  all  his 
relations  wailed  regularly.  His  father  was  very  sad, 
they  say.  He  would  not  sleep  within  the  lodge;  he  lay 
out  of  doors,  without  any  pillow  at  all.  When  he  lay 
on  the  ground  with  his  cheek  on  the  palm  of  his  hand, 
he  heard  his  child  crying.  He  heard  him  crying  down 
under  the  ground,  they  say.  Having  assembled  all  his 
relations,  he  spoke  of  digging  into  the  ground.  The 
relations  collected  horses  to  be  given  as  pay;  they  col 
lected  goods  and  horses.  Then  came  two  old  men  who 
said  they  were  sacred.  They  spoke  of  seeking  for  the 
child.  An  old  man  went  to  tell  the  father.  He  brought 
the  two  sacred  men  to  the  lodge.  The  father  filled  a 
pipe  with  tobacco.  He  gave  it  to  the  sacred  men,  and 
said,  "  If  you  bring  my  child  back,  I  will  give  all  this 
to  you." 

So  they  painted  themselves ;  one  made  his  body  very 

126 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

black,  the  other  made  his  body  very  yellow.  Both  went 
into  the  deep  water.  So  they  arrived  there,  they  say. 
They  talked  to  the  wakanda.  The  child  was  not  dead; 
he  was  sitting  up,  alive. 

The  men  said,  "  The  father  demands  his  child.  We 
have  him;  we  will  go  homeward,"  they  said. 

"You  have  him;  but  if  you  take  him  homeward 
with  you,  he  shall  die.  Had  you  taken  him  before  he 
ate  anything,  he  might  have  lived.  Begone  ye,  and  tell 
those  words  to  his  father." 

The  two  men  went.  They  arrived  at  the  lodge,  they 
say. 

"We  have  seen  your  child;  the  wakanda's  wife  has 
him.  We  saw  him  alive,  but  he  has  eaten  of  the  food 
of  the  wakandas.  Therefore  the  wakanda  says  that  if 
we  bring  the  child  back  with  us  out  of  the  water,  he 
shall  die." 

Still,  the  father  wished  to  see  him. 

"  If  the  wakanda's  wife  gives  you  back  your  child, 
she  desires  a  very  white  dog  as  pay." 

"  I  promise  to  give  her  the  white  dog,"  said  the 
father. 

Again  the  two  men  painted  themselves;  the  one  made 
himself  very  black,  the  other  made  himself  very  yel 
low.  Again  they  went  beneath  the  water.  They 
arrived  at  the  place  again. 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

"  The  father  said  we  were  to  take  the  child  back  at 
any  cost;  he  spoke  of  seeing  his  child." 

So  the  wakanda  gave  the  child  back  to  them;  home 
ward  they  went  with  him.  When  they  reached  the 
surface  of  the  water  with  him,  the  child  died.  They 
gave  him  back  to  his  father.  Then  all  the  people 
wailed  when  they  saw  the  child,  their  relation. 

They  plunged  the  white-haired  dog  into  the  water. 
When  they  had  buried  the  child  they  gave  pay  to  the 
two  men. 

After  a  while,  the  parents  lost  another  child,  a  girl, 
in  the  same  way,  they  say.  But  she  did  not  eat  any  of 
the  wakanda's  food,  therefore  they  took  her  home  alive. 
But  it  was  another  wakanda  who  took  her,  and  he 
promised  to  give  her  back  if  they  would  give  him  four 
white-haired  dogs. 


128 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 


THE  SPIRIT  LAND 

Arapahoe 

THE  spirit  world  is  toward  the  Darkening  Land, 
higher  up,  and  separated  from  the  world  of 
living  by  a  great  lake.  Now  when  the  spirits 
came  back  to  this  world  [in  the  ghost-dance  excitement] 
Crow  was  their  leader.  That  is  because  Crow  is  black; 
his  color  is  the  same  as  that  of  the  Darkening  Land. 
Crow  was  followed  by  all  the  Indians.  But  when  they 
reached  the  edge  of  the  shadow  land,  below  them  was 
a  great  sea. 

Far  away,  toward  the  Sunrise  Land  were  their 
people  in  the  world  of  living.  So  Crow  took  a  pebble 
in  his  beak.  He  dropped  it  into  the  water,  and  it 
became  a  mountain,  towering  up  to  the  shadow  land. 
So  the  Indians  came  down  the  mountain  side  to  the 
edge  of  the  water. 

Then  Crow  took  some  dust  in  his  bill.  He  flew  out 
and  dropped  it  into  the  water,  and  it  became  solid 
land.  It  stretched  between  the  spirit  land  and  the 
world  of  living. 

Then  Crow  flew  out  again,  with  blades  of  grass  in 

129 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

his  beak.  He  dropped  these  upon  the  new  made  land. 
At  once  the  earth  was  covered  with  green  grass. 

Again  Crow  flew  out  with  twigs  in  his  beak,  and  he 
dropped  these  upon  the  new  earth.  At  once  it  was 
covered  with  a  forest  of  trees. 

Again  he  flew  back  to  the  base  of  the  mountain. 
Then  he  called  all  the  spirit  Indians  together.  Now 
he  is  coming  to  help  the  living  Indians.  He  has  already 
passed  the  sea.  He  is  now  on  the  western  edge  of  the 
world  of  living. 


130 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 


WAZIYA,  THE  WEATHER  SPIRIT 

Teton 

THE  giant  called  Waziya  knows  when  there  is 
to  be  a  change  of  weather.    He  is  a  giant. 
When   he  travels,   his   footprints   are   large 
enough  for  several  Indians  to  stand  in  abreast     His 
strides  are  very  far  apart;  at  one  step  he  can  go  over  a 
hill. 

When  it  is  cold,  people  say,  "  Waziya  has  returned.'"' 
They  used  to  pray  to  him,  but  when  they  found  he  paid 
no  attention  to  him,  they  ceased  to  do  it. 

When  warm  weather  is  coming,  Waziya  wraps  him 
self  in  a  thick  robe.  But  when  cold  weather  is  coming, 
he  wears  nothing  at  all.  Waziya,  the  giant  god  of  the 
north,  and  Itokaga,  the  god  of  the  south,  are  ever  bat 
tling.  Each  in  turn  wins  the  victory. 


13* 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


KANSAS  BLIZZARDS 

Kan  s  a 

WHEN  there  is  a  blizzard,  the  other  Kansa  beg 
the  members  of  the  Tcihaci  gens  to  interpose, 
as  they  are  the  Wind  People. 

They  say,  "  Oh,  grandfather,  I  wish  good  weather. 
Please  have  one  of  your  children  decorated." 

Then  the  youngest  son  of  one  of  the  Wind  People, 
but  one  half  grown,  is  selected.  He  is  painted  all  over 
with  red  paint.  Then  he  goes  out  into  the  storm  and 
rolls  over  and  over  the  snow,  reddening  it  for  some  dis 
tance.  This  stops  the  storm, 


133 


OF  THE  GREAT  )»!,. 


IK 


5     o 

2| 


-ss     * 

n 


i'O  was  the  first  .p.  §  ""f     ?his  w- 

cunnine    than      &  *  § 

2  ^  « 

the  i-    ^  -5.  * 


ho 


tricked  by 


!;e  had  create 


/  Ikto  was  r  Q     "3  |  ,  t  then  he  can 

He  was  about  loQoa'i  :um, 
^     I'.-s- 

§  7h,  Ikto,  1  will  teach  you 


o 
c/r 


_Su.idei; ; 

a  magic  ;r 

i 

*  But  1  wi  % 

B 

h 

fe 

brother,  if  you  wis! 
hair  such  as  this," 
rabbit  fur  —  "  and  blov 
be  a  blizzard." 

Rabbit  made  a  deep  **| 
leaves  were  green  ^ 

At  once,  Ikto  beg        2 
masric  words.    Ra 


lUrobit, 
rbit 


?     *~ 


133 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 


IKTO  AND  THE  SNOWSTORM 

Teton 

IKTO  was  the  first  person  in  this  world.  He  is  more 
cunning  than  human  beings.  He  it  was  who 
named  all  the  animals  and  people.  But  sometimes 
Ikto  was  tricked  by  the  beings  he  had  created. 

One  day  Ikto  was  hungry;  just  then  he  caught  a  rab 
bit.  He  was  about  to  roast  him. 

Suddenly  Rabbit  said,  "  Oh,  Ikto,  I  will  teach  you 
a  magic  art." 

Ikto  said,  "  I  have  created  all  things." 

"  But  I  will  show  you  something  new,"  said  Rabbit. 
Therefore  Ikto  consented.  He  let  go  of  Rabbit. 

Rabbit  stood  in  front  of  Ikto  and  said,  "  Elder 
brother,  if  you  wish  snow  to  fall  at  any  time,  take  some 
hair  such  as  this,"  —  and  he  pulled  out  some  of  his 
rabbit  fur  —  "  and  blow  it  in  all  directions;  there  will 
be  a  blizzard." 

Rabbit  made  a  deep  snow  in  this  way,  though  the 
leaves  were  green. 

At  once,  Ikto  began  to  pull  his  own  fur  and  say 
magic  words.  Rabbit  made  a  long  leap  and  ran  away. 

133 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

Ikto  pulled  his  fur  and  blew  it  about.  But  there  was 
no  snow.  Then  he  pulled  more  fur,  and  blew  it  about. 
Still  there  was  no  snow.  It  was  only  rabbit  fur  that 
made  the  snow. 


134 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 


THE  SOUTHERN  BRIDE 

Cherokee 

NORTH  went  traveling,  and  after  a  long  time, 
and  after  visiting  many  tribes,  he  fell  in  love 
with  the  daughter  of  South. 

South  and  his  wife  said,  "  No.  Ever  since  you  came 
the  weather  has  been  cold.  If  you  stay  we  will  all 
freeze." 

North  said  he  would  go  back  to  his  own  country. 
So  South  let  his  daughter  marry  him.  Then  North 
went  back  to  his  own  country  with  South's  daughter. 
All  the  people  there  lived  in  ice  houses. 

The  next  day,  after  sunrise,  the  houses  began  to 
leak.  The  ice  began  to  melt.  It  grew  warmer  and 
warmer.  Then  North's  people  came  to  him.  They 
said,  "  It  is  the  daughter  of  the  South.  If  she  lives 
here  all  the  lodges  will  melt.  You  must  send  her  back 
to  her  father." 

North  said,  "  No." 

But  every  day  it  grew  hotter.  The  lodges  began  to 
melt  away.  The  people  said  North  must  send  his  wife 
home.  Therefore  North  had  to  send  her  back  to  South. 

135 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


THE  FALLEN  STAR 

Dakota 

A  PEOPLE  had  this  camp.  And  there  were  two 
women  sleeping  out  of  doors  and  looking  up 
at  the  stars. 

One  of  them  said,  "  I  wish  that  that  large  and  bright 
shining  star  were  my  husband." 

The  other  said,  "  I  wish  the  star  that  shines  less 
brightly  were  my  husband." 

And  immediately  both  were  immediately  carried 
upward,  they  say.  They  found  themselves  in  a  beauti 
ful  country  which  was  full  of  beautiful  twin  flowers. 
And  they  found  that  the  star  which  had  shone  most 
brightly  was  a  large  man;  the  other  star  was  only  a 
young  man.  So  the  two  stars  married  the  two  women 
and  they  lived  in  that  beautiful  Star  Country. 

Now  in  that  country  was  a  plant,  the  Teepsinna,  with 
large,  attractive  stalks.  The  wife  of  the  large  star 
wanted  to  dig  them.  Her  husband  said,  "  No;  no  one 
does  so  here." 

Then  the  camp  moved.  When  the  woman  had 
pitched  her  tepee,  and  came  inside  to  lay  the  mats,  she 

136 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

saw  there  a  beautiful  teepsinna.  She  said  to  herself, 
"  I  will  dig  this ;  no  one  will  see  me."  So  she  took 
her  digging  stick  and  dug  the  teepsinna;  but  when  she 
pulled  it  out  of  the  earth,  the  foundation  of  the  Star 
Country  broke  and  she  fell  through  with  her  baby. 
So  the  woman  died ;  but  the  baby  was  not  injured.  It 
lay  there  stretched  out. 

An  old  man  came  that  way.  When  he  saw  that  the 
baby  was  alive,  he  took  it  in  his  blanket  and  took  it  to 
his  own  lodge.  He  said  to  his  wife,  "  Old  woman,  I 
saw  something  today  that  made  my  heart  feel  badly." 

"  What  was  it?  "  she  asked. 

"  A  woman  lay  dead ;  and  a  little  baby  boy  lay  beside 
her  kicking." 

"Why  did  you  not  bring  it  home,  old  man?"  she 
asked. 

"  Here  it  is,"  he  said.  Then  he  took  it  out  of  his 
blanket. 

The  wife  said,  "  Old  man,  let  us  adopt  this  child." 

The  old  man  said,  "  We  will  swing  it  around  the 
tepee."  He  whirled  it  up  through  the  smoke  hole.  It 
went  whirling  around  and  around  and  fell  down,  and 
came  creeping  into  the  tent. 

Again  he  took  up  the  baby  and  threw  it  up  through 
the  smoke  hole.  It  got  up  and  came  into  the  tent  walk 
ing.  Again  the  old  man  whirled  him  out.  In  came  a 

137 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

boy  with  some  green  sticks.  He  said,  "  Grandfather,  I 
wish  you  would  make  me  arrows." 

Again  the  old  man  whirled  him  out.  No  one  knows 
where  he  went.  This  time  he  came  back  into  the  tepee 
a  long  man,  with  many  green  sticks.  He  said,  "  Grand 
father,  make  me  arrows  of  these." 

So  the  old  man  made  him  arrows,  and  he  killed  a 
great  many  buffaloes,  and  they  made  a  large  tepee,  and 
built  up  a  high  sleeping  place  in  the  back  part  of  the 
tepee,  and  were  very  rich  in  dried  meat. 

The  old  man  said,  "  Old  woman,  I  am  glad  we  are 
well  off;  I  will  proclaim  it  abroad."  So  when  morning 
came,  he  went  to  the  top  of  the  tent,  and  sat,  and  said, 
"  I,  I  have  abundance  laid  up.  I  eat  the  fat  of  the 
animals." 

That  is  how  the  meadow  lark  came  to  be  made,  they 
say.  It  has  a  yellow  breast  and  black  in  the  middle, 
which  is  the  yellow  of  that  morning,  and  they  say  the 
black  stripe  is  made  by  a  smooth  buffalo  horn  worn  for 
a  necklace. 

The  young  man  said,  "  Grandfather,  I  want  to  go 
visiting." 

"  Yes,"  said  the  old  man.  "  When  one  is  young  is 
the  time  to  go  visiting." 

The  young  man  went  and  came  to  a  people,  and  lo! 
they  were  engaged  in  shooting  arrows  through  a  hoop. 

138 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

And  there  was  a  young  man  who  was  simply  looking 
on.  By  and  by  he  said,  "  My  friend,  let  us  go  to  your 
house." 

So  they  came  to  his  lodge.  Now  this  young  man  also 
had  been  raised  by  his  grandmother,  and  lived  with  her, 
they  say. 

"  Grandmother,  I  have  brought  my  friend  home  with 
me;  get  him  something  to  eat,"  said  the  grandson. 

Grandmother  said,  "What  shall  I  do?" 

Then  the  visiting  young  man  said,  "  How  is  it,  grand 
mother?  " 

She  said,  "  The  people  are  about  to  die  of  thirst.  All 
who  go  for  water  will  not  come  back  again." 

Fallen  Star  said,  "  My  friend,  take  a  kettle;  we  will 
go  for  water." 

"With  difficulty  have  I  raised  my  grandchild," 
objected  the  old  woman. 

"  You  are  afraid  of  trifles,"  said  the  grandson.  So  he 
went  with  Star-born. 

They  reached  the  side  of  the  lake.  By  the  water  of 
the  lake  stood  troughs  half  full  of  water. 

Star-born  called  out,  "  You  who  they  say  have  killed 
every  one  who  has  come  for  water,  where  have  you 
gone?  I  have  come  for  water." 

Then  immediately  whither  they  went  is  not  manifest. 
Behold,  there  was  a  long  house  which  was  extended, 

139 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

and  it  was  full  of  young  men  and  women.     Some  of 
them  were  dead  and  some  were  dying. 

"  How  did  you  come  here?  "  asked  Star-born. 

They  replied,  "What  do  you  mean?  We  came  for 
water  and  something  swallowed  us." 

Something  kept  striking  on  the  head  of  Star-born. 

"What  is  this?  "he  said. 

"  Get  away,"  they  replied,  "  that  is  the  heart." 

Then  he  drew  out  his  knife  and  cut  it  to  pieces.  Sud 
denly  something  made  a  great  noise.  In  the  great  body, 
these  people  were  swallowed  up.  When  the  heart  died, 
death  came  to  the  body.  Then  Star-born  cut  a  great 
hole  in  the  side,  and  came  out,  bringing  the  young  men 
and  the  young  women.  All  came  to  life  again. 

So  the  people  were  thankful  and  offered  him  two 
wives. 

But  he  said,  "  I  am  journeying.  My  friend  here  will 
marry  them." 

Then  Star-born  went  on,  they  say.  Again  he  found 
a  young  man  standing  where  they  were  shooting 
through  a  hoop.  He  said,  "  I  will  look  on  with  my 
friend,"  and  went  and  stood  beside  him. 

Then  the  other  said,  "  My  friend,  let  us  go  home," 
so  he  went  with  him  to  his  tepee. 

"  Grandmother,  I  have  brought  my  friend  home  with 
me,"  he  said.  "  Get  him  something  to  eat" 

140 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

Grandmother  replied,  "  How  shall  I  do  as  you 
say?  " 

"  How  is  it?  "  said  Star-born. 

"This  people  are  perishing  for  wood,"  she  said; 
"  when  any  one  goes  for  wood,  he  never  comes  home 
again." 

Star-born  said,  "  My  friend,  take  the  packing  strap ; 
we  will  go  for  wood." 

The  old  woman  protested.  "  This  one,  my  grand 
child,  I  have  raised  with  difficulty,"  she  said.  He 
answered,  "  Old  woman,  what  you  are  afraid  of  are 
trifles,"  and  went  with  the  young  man.  "  I  am  going 
to  bring  wood,"  he  said.  "  If  any  wish  to  go,  come 
along." 

"  The  young  man  who  came  from  somewhere  says 
this,"  they  said,  so  they  followed  him. 

They  had  now  reached  the  wood.  They  found  it 
tied  up  in  bundles.  He  ordered  them  to  carry  it  home, 
but  he  stood  still  and  said,  "  You  who  killed  every 
one  who  came  to  this  wood,  where  have  you  gone?  " 

Then,  suddenly,  where  he  went  was  not  made  mani 
fest.  And  lo!  a  tepee,  and  in  it  some  young  men  and 
young  women;  some  were  eating,  and  some  were 
waiting. 

He  said  to  them,  "  How  came  you  here?  " 

They  answered,  "  What  do  you  mean?  We  came  for 

141 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

wood  and  something  brought  us  here.  Now  you  also 
are  lost." 

He  looked  behind  him,  and  lo!  there  was  a  hole. 

"What  is  this?  "he  asked. 

"  Stop !  "  they  said.    "  That  is  the  thing  itself." 

He  drew  out  an  arrow  and  shot  it.  Then  suddenly 
it  opened  out  and  behold!  it  was  the  ear  of  an  owl  in 
which  they  had  been  shut  up.  When  it  was  killed,  it 
opened  out.  Then  he  said,  "  Young  men  and  women, 
come  out,"  so  they  went  home. 

Again  they  offered  him  two  wives.  But  he  said,  "  My 
friend  will  marry  them.  I  am  traveling." 

Again  he  passed  on.  And  he  came  to  a  dwelling 
place  of  people  and  found  them  shooting  the  hoop. 
There  stood  a  young  man  looking  on.  He  joined  him 
as  his  friend.  While  they  stood  there  together,  he 
said: 

"  Friend,  let  us  go  to  your  home."  So  he  went  with 
him  to  his  tepee. 

The  young  man  said,  u  Grandmother,  I  have  brought 
my  friend  home  with  me;  get  him  something  to  eat." 

She  said,  "  Where  shall  I  get  it  from,  that  you  say 
that?  " 

"Grandmother,  how  is  it  that  you  say  so?"  asked 
the  stranger. 

She  replied,  "  Waziya  treats  this  people  very  badly. 

142 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

When  they  go  out  to  kill  buffalo,  he  takes  it  all,  and 
now  they  are  starving  to  death." 

Now  Waziya  was  a  giant  who  caused  very  cold 
weather  and  blizzards. 

Then  he  said,  "  Grandmother,  go  to  him  and  say, 
'  My  grandchild  has  come  on  a  journey  and  has  nothing 
to  eat;  so  he  has  sent  me  to  you.'  " 

So  the  old  woman  went  and  standing  at  a  distance, 
cried,  "  Waziya,  my  grandchild  has  come  on  a  journey 
and  has  nothing  to  eat;  so  he  has  sent  me  to  you." 

He  replied,  "  Bad  old  woman,  get  you  home;  what 
do  you  mean  by  coming  here?  " 

The  old  woman  came  home  crying,  and  saying  that 
Waziya  had  threatened  to  kill  some  of  her  relations.- 

Star-born  said,  "  My  friend,  take  your  strap;  we  will 
go  there." 

The  old  woman  interfered:  "  I  have  with  difficulty 
raised  my  grandchild." 

Grandchild  replied  to  this  by  saying,  "  Grandmother 
is  very  much  afraid."  So  the  two  went  together. 

When  they  came  to  the  house  of  Waziya,  they  found 
a  great  deal  of  dried  meat  outside.  He  put  as  much 
on  his  friend  as  he  could  carry,  and  sent  him  home  with 
it;  then  Star-born  entered  the  tepee  of  Waziya,  and 
said  to  him,  "  Waziya,  why  did  you  answer  my  grand 
mother  as  you  did  when  I  sent  her  to  you?  " 

H3 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

Waziya  only  looked  angry. 

Hanging  there  was  a  bow  of  ice.  "Waziya,  why 
do  you  keep  this?  "  he  said. 

The  giant  replied,  "  Hands  off;  whoever  touches  that 
gets  a  broken  arm." 

Star-born  said,  "  I  will  see  if  my  arm  breaks."  He 
took  the  ice  bow  and  snapped  it  into  many  pieces,  and 
then  started  home. 

The  next  morning  all  the  people  went  on  the  chase 
and  killed  many  buffaloes.  But,  as  he  had  done  before, 
the  Waziya  went  all  over  the  field,  gathered  up  all 
the  meat,  and  put  it  in  his  blanket. 

Star-born  was  cutting  up  a  fat  cow.  Waziya  came 
and  stood  there.  He  said,  "  Who  cuts  this  up?  " 

"  I  am,"  answered  Star-born. 

Waziya  said,  "  From  where  have  you  come  that  you 
act  so  haughtily?  " 

"  Whence  have  you  come,  Waziya,  that  you  act  so 
proudly?  "  he  retorted. 

Waziya  said,  "  Fallen  Star,  whoever  points  his  fin 
ger  at  me  dies."  The  young  man  thought,  "  I  will  point 
my  finger  at  him  and  see  if  I  die."  He  pointed  his 
finger,  but  it  made  no  difference. 

Then  Fallen  Star  said,  "  Waziya,  whoever  points 
his  finger  at  me,  his  hand  loses  all  use."  So  Waziya 
thought,  "  I  will  point  my  finger  and  see."  He  pointed 

144 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

his  finger.  His  forearm  lost  all  use.  Then  he  pointed 
his  finger  with  the  other  hand.  It  was  destroyed  even 
to  the  elbow. 

Then  Fallen  Star  drew  out  his  knife  and  cut  up 
Waziya's  blanket,  and  all  the  buffalo  meat  he  had  gath 
ered  there  fell  out.  Fallen  Star  called  to  the  people, 
"  Henceforth  kill  and  carry  home." 

So  the  people  took  the  meat  and  carried  it  to  their 
tepees. 

The  next  morning,  they  say,  it  was  rumored  that  the 
blanket  of  Waziya,  which  had  been  cut  to  pieces,  had 
been  sewed  up  by  his  wife.  He  was  about  to  shake  it. 

The  giant  stood  with  his  face  toward  the  north  and 
shook  his  blanket.  Then  the  wind  blew  from  the  north. 
Snow  fell  all  about  the  camp  so  that  the  people  were 
all  snowed  in.  They  were  much  troubled.  They  said, 
"We  did  live  in  some  fashion  before;  but  now  this 
young  man  has  acted  so  we  are  in  great  trouble." 

But  he  said,  "  Grandmother,  find  me  a  fan." 

Then  she  made  a  road  under  the  snow,  and  went  to 
people  and  said,  "  My  grandchild  says  he  wants  a  fan." 

"  What  does  he  mean  by  saying  that?  "  they  asked  and 
gave  him  one. 

Now  the  snow  reached  to  the  top  of  the  lodges,  and 
so  Fallen  Star  pushed  up  through  the  snow,  and  sat 
on  the  ridge  of  the  lodge.  While  the  wind  was  blowing 

.US 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

to  the  south,  he  sat  and  fanned  himself  and  made  the 
wind  come  from  the  south.  Then  the  heat  became 
great.  The  snow  went  as  if  boiling  water  had  been 
poured  over  it.  All  over  the  ground  there  was  a  mist. 
Waziya  and  his  wife  and  children  all  died  with  the 
great  heat.  But  the  youngest  child,  the  littlest  child  of 
Waziya,  took  refuge  in  the  hole  made  by  the  tent  pole, 
where  there  was  a  frost,  and  so  he  lived.  So  they  say 
that  is  all  that  is  left  of  Waziya  now,  just  the  littlest 
child. 


146 


OF  THIi  (JKKAT  1'I.AINS 


QUARREL  OF  TIIK  SUN  AND  MOON 

Omaha 

cc  ¥~  AM   out   of   patience  with   you,"   said    Moon   to 
Sun.     "Although    i    bung   people  together,  you 
scatter  them.    Thus  many  arc  lost.'7 
'  J   hare  desired  many  people  to  grow,"  said  Sun, 
"  and  so  I  have  scattered  them;   hut  you  have  been  put 
ting  them  in  daikness  and   thus  have  you   hern  killing 
many  with  hunger.     Ho!  ye  people  I"  called  the  Sun. 
u  Many  of  you  shall  mature.     I  will  look  down  on  you 
from  above.     I  will  diicrt  you,  whatever  you  do." 

Then  Moon  said,  ((  And  I,  too,  will  dwell  so.  I  will 
collect  you;  when  it  is  dark,  you  shall  assemble  in  full 
numbers,  and  sleep.  I  myself  will  rule  you,  whatever 
you  do.  And  we  shall  walk  in  the  road,  one  after  the 
other.  I  will  walk  behind  him." 

Moon  is  just  like,  a  woman.  She  always  walks  wit!) 
a  kettle  on  her  arm. 


U7 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


WHY  THE  POSSUM  PLAYS  DEAD 

Cherokee 

RABBIT  and  Possum  each  wanted  a  wife,  but  no 
one  would  marry  either  of  them.    They  talked 
over  the  matter  and  Rabbit  said,  "  We  can't  get 
wives  here.    Let 's  go  to  the  next  village.    I  '11  say  I  'm 
messenger  for  the  council  and  that  everybody  must 
marry  at  once,  and  then  we  '11  be  sure  to  get  wives." 

Off  they  started  for  the  next  town.  As  Rabbit  trav 
eled  the  faster,  he  got  there  first.  He  waited  outside 
the  village  until  people  noticed  him  and  took  him  into 
the  council  lodge.  When  the  chief  asked  his  business, 
Rabbit  said  he  brought  important  message:  everyone 
must  be  married  at  once.  So  the  chief  called  a  great 
council  of  the  people  and  told  them  the  message. 

Every  animal  took  a  mate  at  once,  and  thus  Rabbit 
got  a  wife. 

But  Possum  traveled  slowly.  Therefore  he  reached 
the  village  so  late  that  all  the  men  were  married  and 
there  was  no  wife  for  him.  Rabbit  pretended  to  be 
sorry.  He  said,  "  Never  mind.  I  '11  carry  the  same 
message  to  the  next  village." 

148 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

So  Rabbit  traveled  ahead  to  the  next  village.  He 
waited  outside  until  they  invited  him  to  the  council 
lodge.  There  he  told  the  chief  he  brought  an  important 
message:  there  had  been  peace  so  long,  there  must  be 
war  at  once.  The  war  must  begin  in  the  council  lodge. 

The  animals  all  began  to  fight  at  once,  but  Rabbit 
got  away  in  just  four  leaps.  Then  Possum  reached 
the  lodge.  Now  Possum  had  brought  no  weapons.  So 
all  the  animals  began  to  fight  Possum.  They  hit  him  so 
hard  that  after  a  while  he  rolled  over  in  a  corner  and 
shut  his  eyes  and  pretended  to  be  dead.  That  is  why 
Possum  pretends  to  be  dead  when  he  finds  the  hunters 
after  him. 


149 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


BOG  MYTH 

Dakota 

BOGS  are  very  mysterious.  Strange  things,  with 
thick  hair,  remain  at  the  bottom  of  a  bog. 
These  things  have  no  eyes,  but  they  eat  every 
thing  which  comes  to  them,  and  from  their  bodies  water 
flows  always.  When  one  of  these  Beings  wishes,  he 
changes  his  place  of  abode.  He  lives  at  a  new  place. 
Then  the  old  place  where  he  lived  dries  up;  but  a 
fresh  spring  of  water  gushes  from  his  new  lodge.  The 
water  of  this  spring  is  warm  in  winter;  but  in  summer 
it  is  as  cold  as  ice.  Before  one  dares  drink  of  it,  he 
prays  to  the  water,  else  he  may  bring  illness  on  himself 
for  irreverence. 

In  the  olden  days,  one  of  the  Bog  Beings  was  pulled 
out  of  a  bog  and  carried  to  the  camp.  A  special  tepee 
was  built  for  him.  But  so  much  water  flowed  all 
around  that  the  people  were  almost  drowned.  Then 
those  who  were  not  drowned  offered  him  food.  He 
sat  motionless,  gazing  at  them.  But  the  food  vanished 
before  they  could  see  it  go;  and  no  one  saw  the  Bog 
Being  eat  it. 

150 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 


COYOTE  AND  SNAKE 

Omaha 

COYOTE  was  going  in  a  straight  line  across  the 
prairie.     While  he  was  seeking  something,  a 
person  said  suddenly,  "  Stop!  "  Coyote  thought, 
"  Who  can  it  be  ?" 

He  looked  all  around  but  saw  no  one.  Then  he 
walked  on  a  few  steps,  when  some  one  said,  "  Walk 
around  me!  "  Then  Coyote  saw  it  was  Snake. 

"Humph!"  said  Coyote.  "When  I  walk  here,  I 
do  not  wish  to  walk  around  anyone  at  all.  You  go  to 
one  side.  Get  out  of  my  way!  " 

Snake  replied,  "  I  am  here.  I  have  never  thought 
for  a  moment  of  giving  place  to  anyone!  " 

"  Even  if  you  think  so,"  said  Coyote,  "  I  will  run  over 
you." 

"  If  you  do  so,  you  shall  die,"  said  Snake. 

"Why  should  I  die?  There  is  nothing  that  can  kill 
me,"  said  Coyote. 

"  Come!  Step  over  me.  Do  it  in  spite  of  me,"  said 
Snake.  Then  Coyote  stepped  over  him.  And  Snake 
bit  him.  But  Coyote  did  not  feel  it. 

151 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

"Where  is  it?  You  said  that  if  I  stepped  over  you, 
I  should  die.  Where  have  I  received  my  death  blow?  " 
said  Coyote. 

Snake  made  no  reply  and  Coyote  walked  on.  After 
some  time  he  came  to  a  creek.  As  he  was  about  to 
drink,  he  saw  himself  in  the  water.  He  seemed  very 
fat. 

"  Whew!  "  he  said.  "  I  was  never  so  before.  I  am 
very  fat."  Saying  this,  he  felt  himself  all  over;  but 
that  was  all  he  did.  Then  he  walked  on  until  he  felt 
sleepy.  He  said,  "  I  am  very  sleepy."  So  he  pushed 
his  way  into  the  thick  grass  and  fell  asleep.  Coyote 
did  not  wake  up.  Snake  had  told  the  truth. 


152 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 


WHY  THE  WOLVES  HELP  IN  WAR 

Dakota 

ONCE  upon  a  time  an  Indian  found  a  wolf  den, 
and  began  digging  into  it  to  get  the  cubs. 

Wolf  Mother  appeared,  barking.  She  said, 
"  Pity  my  children,"  but  he  paid  no  attention  to  her. 
So  she  ran  for  her  husband. 

Wolf  Father  soon  appeared.  He  barked.  Still  the 
man  dug  into  the  den.  Then  Wolf  Father  sang  a 
beautiful  song.  He  sang,  "  O  man,  pity  my  children, 
and  I  will  teach  you  one  of  my  arts."  He  ended  with 
a  howl  which  caused  a  fog.  When  the  Wolf  Father 
howled  again,  the  fog  disappeared. 

The  man  thought,  "  These  animals  have  mysterious 
gifts."  So  he  tore  up  his  red  blanket  into  small  pieces. 
He  tied  a  piece  around  the  neck  of  each  of  the  wolf 
cubs,  as  a  necklace.  Then  he  painted  them  with  red 
paint  and  put  them  back  into  the  den. 

Wolf  Father  was  very  grateful.  He  said,  "  When 
you  go  to  war  hereafter,  I  will  go  with  you.  I  will 
bring  about  whatever  you  wish."  Then  the  man  went 
away. 

i53 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

After  a  while  the  man  went  on  the  warpath.  Just 
as  he  came  in  sight  of  the  village  of  the  enemy,  a  large 
wolf  met  him. 

Wolf  said,  "  By  and  by  I  will  sing.  Then  you  shall 
steal  their  horses  when  they  least  suspect  danger." 

So  the  man  stopped  on  a  hill  close  to  the  village.  And 
the  wolf  sang.  After  that  he  howled,  making  a  high 
wind  arise.  The  horses  fled  to  the  forest,  but  many 
stopped  on  the  hillside.  When  the  wolf  howled  again, 
the  wind  died  down  and  a  mist  arose.  So  the  man  on 
the  warpath  took  as  many  horses  as  he  pleased. 


154 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 


HOW  jRABBIT  ESCAPED  FROM  THE 

WOLVES 

Cherokee 

ONCE  upon  a  time,  Wolves  caught  Rabbit.  They 
were  going  to  eat  him,  but  Rabbit  said  he 
would  show  them  a  new  dance.      Now    the 
Wolves  knew  that  Rabbit  was  a  good  dancer,  so  they 
made  a  ring  around  him. 

Rabbit  pattered  with  his  feet  and  began  to  dance 
around  in  a  circle,  singing, 

On  the  edge  of  the  field  I  dance  about, 
Ha  nia  lill  hi!    Ha  ma  III!  III! 

Then  the  Rabbit  stopped  a  minute.  He  said,  "  Now 
when  I  sing  '  on  the  edge  of  the  field/  I  dance  that 
way"  —  and  he  danced  over  in  that  direction;  "  and 
when  I  sing  '  III!  HI! '  you  must  all  stamp  your  feet 
hard." 

The  Wolves  liked  that.    They  liked  new  dances. 

Rabbit  began  singing  the  same  song,  dancing  nearer 
to  the  field,  while  all  the  Wolves  stamped  their  feet. 
He  sang  the  song  again,  dancing  still  nearer  the  edge 

155 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

of  the  field.  The  fourth  time  he  sang  it,  while  the 
Wolves  were  stamping  their  feet  as  hard  as  they  could. 
Rabbit  made  one  jump  off  and  leaped  through  the  long 
grass.  The  Wolves  raced  after  him,  but  Rabbit  ran 
for  a  hollow  stump  and  climbed  inside.  When  the 
Wolves  got  there,  one  of  them  put  his  head  inside,  but 
Rabbit  hit  him  on  the  eye  and  he  pulled  his  head  out. 
The  others  were  afraid  to  try,  so  they  went  away  and 
left  Rabbit  in  the  stump. 


156 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 


HOW  RABBIT  LOST  HIS  FAT 

Omaha 

AT  first  all  the  four-footed  animals  were  fat.    The 
one  who  made  them  wished  to  know  if  they 
looked  well  so  fat.    So  he  called  all  the  four- 
footed  animals  together.    He  seized  by  the  head  each 
one  who  did  not  look  handsome  with  the  fat,  and 
scraped  it  all  off. 

At  length  someone  took  Rabbit  to  him. 

"  Fat  makes  me  handsome,"  said  Rabbit.  "  I  will 
be  the  one." 

"  Let  me  see!  Come  here!  "  said  the  one  who  made 
the  animals.  Then  he  made  Rabbit  fat.  Then  he 
looked  at  him.  "  Fat  makes  you  ugly  beyond  measure." 

So  he  seized  Rabbit  by  the  head  and  scraped  off  the 
fat  from  the  base  of  his  neck.  But  he  pulled  suddenly 
at  the  flesh  in  the  space  between  the  shoulders.  There 
fore,  ever  since  then  Rabbit  has  had  a  hollow  space 
between  his  shoulders,  and  only  in  that  place  is  there 
a  piece  of  fat. 

At  length  the  person  who  made  the  animals  saw  that 
Raccoon  was  the  only  person  who  looked  well  when 
fat.  So  he  made  the  whole  body  of  Raccoon  fat. 

157 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


HOW  FLINT  VISITED  RABBIT 

Cherokee 

LONG  ago,  in  the  old  days,  Flint  lived  up  in  the 
mountains,    and    all    the    animals    hated    him 
because   he   had   helped   to   kill   so   many   of 
them.    All  the  arrowheads  were  made  of  flint.    They 
used  to  have  councils.     They  tried  to  think  of  some 
means  of  killing  him.   But  everybody  was  afraid  to  go 
near  to  his  house,  until  at  last  Rabbit,  who  was  the 
boldest,  offered  to  try  to  kill  Flint. 

So  Rabbit  asked  the  trail  to  Flint's  house.  At  last 
he  reached  the  house. 

Flint  was  standing  at  the  door  of  his  lodge  when 
Rabbit  reached  there.  He  said,  " Siyu!  Hello!  Are 
you  the  fellow  they  call  Flint?  " 

"  Yes ;  that 's  what  they  call  me,"  said  Flint. 

"  Is  this  where  you  live?  " 

"  Yes;  this  is  where  I  live." 

All  the  time  Rabbit  was  looking  at  the  lodge  and  all 
about  him.  He  was  trying  to  think  how  to  kill  Flint. 
Rabbit  had  expected  Flint  to  invite  him  into  his  lodge. 
But  Flint  only  stood  in  the  door. 

158 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

Rabbit  said,  "  My  name  is  Rabbit.  I  Ve  heard  a 
good  deal  about  you,  so  I  came  to  see  you." 

Flint  said,  "  Where  is  your  lodge?  " 

"  Down  in  the  broom-grass  field  near  the  river,"  said 
Rabbit. 

Flint  said,  "  I  will  come  and  visit  you  after  a  while." 

Rabbit  said,  "  Come  now  and  have  supper  with  me." 

So  Rabbit  coaxed  Flint  until  he  said  yes,  and  the 
two  started  down  the  mountain  side  together. 

When  they  came  near  Rabbit's  hole,  Rabbit  said, 
"  There  is  my  lodge,  but  in  summer  I  stay  outside  here, 
where  it  is  cooler." 

So  he  made  a  fire  and  they  had  their  supper  on  the 
grass.  When  supper  was  over,  Flint  stretched  out  on 
the  grass  to  rest.  Rabbit  picked  up  some  heavy  sticks 
and  his  knife,  and  cut  a  mallet  and  wedge. 

Flint  looked  up  and  said,  "What  is  that  for?'3 

"  Oh,"  said  Rabbit,  "  I  like  to  be  doing  something 
and  they  may  come  in  handy." 

Flint  lay  down  again  and  soon  he  was  sound  asleep. 
Rabbit  spoke  to  him  once  or  twice,  but  he  did  not 
answer.  Then  Rabbit  came  over  to  Flint  and  with  one 
blow  of  the  mallet  drove  the  stake  through  Flint.  Then 
he  ran  with  all  his  might  for  his  own  hole.  But  before 
he  reached  it,  there  was  a  loud  explosion,  and  pieces 
of  flint  flew  all  about.  That  is  why  we  find  flint  in 

159 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

so  many  places  now.  One  piece  struck  Rabbit  and 
cut  him  just  as  he  dived  into  his  hole.  He  sat  listening 
until  everything  was  quiet  again.  Then  he  put  his 
head  out  to  look  around,  just  as  another  piece  fell.  It 
cut  his  lip,  just  as  we  see  it  now. 


160 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 


HOW  RABBIT  CAUGHT  THE  SUN  IN  A  TRAP 

Omaha 

ONCE  upon  a  time  Rabbit  dwelt  in  a  lodge  with 
no  one  but  his' grandmother.    It  was  his  custom 
to  go  hunting  very  early  in  the  morning.    But 
no  matter  how  early  in  the  morning  he  went,  a  person 
with  a  very  long  foot  had  been  along,  leaving  a  trail. 
Rabbit  wished  to  know  him. 

"  Now,"  he  thought,  "  I  will  go  in  advance  of  that 
person."  Having  risen  very  early  in  the  morning,  he 
departed,  but  again  it  happened  that  the  person  had 
been  along,  leaving  a  trail.  Then  Rabbit  went  home. 

"  Grandmother,"  he  said,  "  though  I  arrange  for 
myself  to  go  first,  a  person  goes  ahead  of  me  every  time. 
Grandmother,  I  will  make  a  snare  and  I  will  catch 
him." 

"  Why  should  you  do  it?  "  she  asked. 

"  I  hate  the  person,"  he  said. 

Again  Rabbit  departed.  And  again  had  the  foot 
prints  gone  along.  So  Rabbit  lay  waiting  for  night 
to  come.  Then  he  made  a  noose  of  a  bowstring,  setting 
it  where  the  footprints  were  commonly  seen. 

161 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

Next  morning  Rabbit  reached  the  place  very  early, 
to  see  what  he  had  caught  in  his  trap.  And  it  happened 
that  he  had  caught  the  Sun.  Running  very  fast,  he 
went  homewards  to  tell  about  it. 

"  Grandmother,"  he  said,  "  I  have  caught  something 
or  other  but  it  scares  me.  Grandmother,  I  wished  to 
take  away  my  bowstring,  but  I  was  scared  every  time." 

So  he  went  there  again  with  a  knife.  This  time 
he  got  very  near  it. 

"  You  have  done  wrong.  Why  have  you  done  it? 
Come  and  untie  me,"  said  the  Sun. 

The  Rabbit,  although  he  went  to  untie  him,  kept 
going  past  him  a  little  on  one  side.  Then  he  made 
a  rush  with  his  head  bent  down  and  his  arm  stretched 
out,  and  cut  the  bowstring  with  his  knife.  And  the 
Sun  rose  into  the  sky.  But  Rabbit  had  the  hair  between 
his  shoulders  scorched  yellow  by  the  heat  of  the  Sun  as 
he  stooped  and  cut  the  bowstring.  Then  Rabbit  arrived 
at  his  lodge. 

"I  am  burnt.  Oh,  grandmother!  the  heat  has  left 
nothing  of  me,"  he  said. 

Grandmother  said,  "  Oh,  my  grandchild!  I  think 
the  heat  has  left  to  me  nothing  of  him!  " 

From  that  time  Rabbit  has  always  had  a  singed  spot 
upon  his  back,  between  his  shoulders. 


162 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 


HOW  RABBIT  KILLED  THE  GIANT 

Omaha 

WHEN  Rabbit  was  going  on  a  journey,  he 
came  to  a  certain  village.  The  people  said, 
"  Halloo!  Rabbit  has  come  as  a  visitor." 

On  meeting  him,  they  said,  "  Whom  did  you  come 
to  see?" 

"  Why,  I  will  go  to  the  lodge  of  any  one,"  said 
Rabbit. 

"  But  the  people  have  nothing  to  eat,"  they  said. 
"  The  Giant  is  the  only  one  who  has  anything  to  eat. 
You  ought  to  go  to  his  lodge." 

Yet,  the  Rabbit  passed  on  to  the  end  lodge  and 
entered  it. 

"  Friend,  we  have  nothing  to  eat,"  said  the  host. 

"  Why,  my  friend,"  said  Rabbit,  "  when  there  is 
nothing,  people  eat  anything  they  can  get." 

At  length  the  Giant  invited  Rabbit  to  a  feast. 

"  Oh  ho! "  called  the  man  whose  lodge  Rabbit  had 
entered.  "  Friend,  you  are  invited.  Hasten!  " 

Now  all  the  people  were  afraid  of  the  Giant.  No 
matter  what  animal  anyone  killed,  the  Giant  kept  all 

of  the  meat. 

163 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

Rabbit  arrived  at  the  lodge  of  the  Giant.  As  he 
entered,  the  host  said,  "  Oh!  Pass  around  to  that  side." 
But  Rabbit  leaped  over  and  took  a  seat.  At  length 
food  was  given  him.  He  ate  it  very  rapidly  but  left 
some  which  he  hid  in  his  robe.  Then  he  pushed  the 
bowl  aside. 

"  Friend,"  he  said  to  the  Giant,  "  here  is  the  bowl." 
Then  he  said,  "  Friend,  I  must  go."  He  sprang  past 
the  fireplace  at  one  leap,  at  the  second  leap  his  feet 
touched  the  chest  of  the  Giant's  servant,  and  with 
another  leap  he  had  gone. 

When  Rabbit  reached  the  lodge  where  he  was  visit 
ing,  he  gave  his  host  the  food  he  had  not  eaten.  The 
man  and  his  wife  were  glad  to  eat  it,  since  they  had 
been  without  food. 

Next  morning,  the  crier  passed  through  the  village, 
commanding  the  people  to  be  stirring. 

They  said,  "  The  Giant  is  the  one  for  whom  they  are 
to  kill  game."  So  they  all  went  hunting.  They  scared 
some  animals  out  of  a  dense  forest  and  shot  at  them. 
Rabbit  went  thither  very  quickly.  He  found  Giant 
had  reached  there  before  him  and  taken  all  the  game. 
When  Rabbit  heard  shooting  in  another  place,  he  went 
thither,  but  again  found  the  Giant  was  before  him. 

"This  is  provoking!"  thought  Rabbit. 

When  some  persons  shot  at  game  in  another  place 

164 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

Rabbit  noticed  it,  and  went  thither  immediately,  reach 
ing  the  spot  before  the  Giant. 

"  Friend,'7  he  said  to  the  man  who  had  killed  the 
deer,  "  let  us  cut  it  up." 

The  man  was  unwilling.  He  said,  "  No,  friend,  the 
Giant  will  come  by  and  by." 

"  Pshaw,  friend,"  said  Rabbit.  "  When  one  kills 
animals,  he  cuts  them  up  and  then  makes  an  equal  dis 
tribution  of  the  pieces,"  said  the  Rabbit. 

Still  the  man  refused,  fearing  the  Giant.  So  Rabbit 
rushed  forward  and  seized  the  deer  by  the  feet. 

When  he  had  only  slit  the  skin,  the  Giant  arrived. 

"  You  have  done  wrong.    Let  it  alone,"  Giant  said. 

"  What  have  I  done  wrong?  "  asked  Rabbit.  "  When 
one  kills  game,  he  cuts  it  up  and  makes  an  equal  distri 
bution  of  the  pieces." 

"  Let  it  alone,  I  say,"  said  the  Giant. 

But  Rabbit  continued  to  insert  the  knife  in  the  meat. 

"  I  will  blow  that  thing  into  the  air,"  said  the  Giant. 

"Blow  me  into  the  air!  Blow  me  into  the  air!" 
said  Rabbit. 

So  the  Giant  went  closer  to  him,  and  when  he  blew 
at  him  the  Rabbit  went  up  into  the  air  with  his  fur 
blown  apart.  Striding  past,  the  Giant  seized  the  deer, 
put  it  through  his  belt,  and  departed.  That  was  his 
custom.  He  took  all  the  deer  that  were  killed,  hung 

165 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

them  on  his  belt,  and  took  them  to  his  lodge.  He  was 
a  very  tall  person. 

At  night  Rabbit  wandered  around,  and  at  last  wrent 
all  around  the  Giant's  lodge.  He  seized  an  insect  and 
said  to  it,  "  Oh,  insect!  You  shall  go  and  bite  the  Giant 
right  in  the  side." 

At  length  when  it  was  morning,  it  was  said  the  Giant 
was  ill.  Then  he  died. 

The  people  said,  "  Make  a  village  for  Rabbit!" 

But  Rabbit  said,  "  I  do  not  wish  to  be  chief.  I  have 
left  my  old  woman  by  herself,  so  I  will  return  to  her." 


1 66 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 


HOW  THE  DEER  GOT  HIS  HORNS 

Cherokee 

LONG  ago,  in  the  beginning,  Deer  had  no  horns. 
His  head  was  smooth  like  a  doe's.  Now  Deer 
was  a  very  fast  runner,  but  Rabbit  was  a  famous 
jumper.  So  the  animals  used  to  talk  about  it  and  won 
der  which  could  go  the  farther  in  the  same  time.  They 
talked  about  it  a  great  deal.  They  decided  to  have  a 
race  between  the  two,  and  they  made  a  pair  of  large 
antlers  to  be  given  to  whoever  could  run  the  faster. 
Deer  and  Rabbit  were  to  start  together  from  one  side 
of  a  thicket,  go  through  it,  and  then  turn  and  come 
back.  The  one  who  came  out  of  the  thicket  first  was 
to  receive  the  horns. 

On  a  certain  day  all  the  animals  were  there.  They 
put  the  antlers  down  on  the  ground  to  mark  the  start 
ing  point.  Everyone  admired  the  horns.  But  Rabbit 
said,  "  I  do  n't  know  this  part  of  the  country;  I  want  to 
look  through  the  bushes  where  I  am  to  run." 

So  the  Rabbit  went  into  the  thicket,  and  stayed  a 
long  time.  He  was  gone  so  long  the  animals  suspected 
he  was  playing  a  trick.  They  sent  a  messenger  after 

167 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

him.  Right  in  the  middle  of  the  thicket  he  found 
Rabbit,  gnawing  down  the  bushes  and  pulling  them 
away  to  make  a  clear  road  for  himself. 

The  messenger  came  back  quietly  and  told  the  ani 
mals.  When  Rabbit  came  back,  they  accused  him  of 
cheating.  Rabbit  said,  "  No,'7  but  at  last  they  all  went 
into  the  thicket  and  found  the  road  he  had  made. 
Therefore  the  animals  gave  the  antlers  to  Deer,  saying 
that  he  was  the  better  runner.  That  is  why  deer  have 
antlers.  And  because  Rabbit  cut  the  bushes  down,  he 
is  obliged  to  keep  cutting  them  down,  as  he  does  to  this 
day. 


1 68 


nrtcsy   of   the   Smithsonian    Institution 

KANSA   CHIEF 


Courtesy   of   the   Smithsonian    Institution 

BIG  GOOSE 
(Omaha) 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 


WHY  THE  DEER  HAS  BLUNT  TEETH 

Cherokee 

ONE  day  after  the  race  which  they  did  not  run, 
Rabbit  stretched  a  large  grapevine  across  the 
trail,  gnawing  it  nearly  in  two  in  the  middle. 
Then  he  went  back  on  the  trail,  took  a  run,  and  jumped 
up  at  the  vine.    He  did  this  again  and  again.    At  last 
Deer  came  along  and  asked  him  to  tell  what  he  was 
doing. 

"  Do  n't  you  see?  "  said  Rabbit.  "  I  'm  so  strong  I 
can  bite  through  that  grapevine  at  one  jump." 

Deer  said,  "  Do  it."  Rabbit  ran  back,  made  a  long 
leap,  and  bit  through  the  vine  where  he  had  gnawed 
it  before. 

Deer  said,  "  Well,  I  can  do  it  if  you  can." 

So  Rabbit  stretched  a  larger  grapevine  across  the 
trail  but  without  gnawing  it  in  the  center.  Deer  ran 
back  as  he  had  seen  Rabbit  do,  made  a  spring,  and 
struck  the  grapevine  right  in  the  center.  It  only  flew 
back  and  threw  him  over. 

Deer  tried  again  and  again,  but  he  was  only  bruised 
and  hurt. 

169 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

"  Let  me  see  your  teeth,"  said  Rabbit.  They  were 
long  like  a  wolf's  teeth  but  not  very  sharp. 

"  No  wonder  you  cannot  do  it,"  said  Rabbit.  a  Your 
teeth  are  too  blunt  to  bite  anything.  Let  me  sharpen 
them  for  you  so  they  are  like  mine.  My  teeth  are  so 
sharp  I  can  cut  through  a  stick  just  like  a  knife." 

And  Rabbit  showed  Deer  a  black  locust  twig,  of 
which  rabbits  gnaw  the  young  shoots,  which  he  had 
shaved  off  as  well  as  a  knife  could  do  it. 

So  Deer  let  Rabbit  sharpen  his  teeth.  But  Rabbit 
got  a  hard  stone  with  rough  edges  and  ground  down 
the  Deer's  teeth  until  they  were  blunt. 

"  Now  try  it,"  said  Rabbit  to  Deer.  So  Deer  tried 
it  again,  but  he  could  not  bite  at  all. 

"  Now  you  Ve  paid  for  your  horns,"  said  Rabbit  as 
he  sprang  through  the  underbrush.  That  is  why  the 
Deer's  teeth  are  blunt. 


170 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 


LEGEND  OF  THE  HEAD  OF  GOLD 

Dakota 

A  MAN  had  four  children.    And  they  were  all 
young  men,  but  they  were  poor  and  it  seemed 
as  if  they  would  die  of  laziness.    The  old  man 
said,  "  Behold!   old  woman.     I  have  the  greatest  pity 
for  my  youngest  child,  and  I  do  not  wish  him  to  die  of 
poverty.     See  here;  let  us  seek  the  Great  Mystery, 
Wakantanka.    If  we  find  him,  behold!  I  will  give  the 
boy  to  him  to  train  up  well  for  me." 

"  Yes,  old  man;  you  say  well.  We  will  do  so,"  said 
the  old  woman.  So  at  once  they  went  toward  the  Dark 
ening  Land,  seeking  Wakantanka.  They  came  to  a 
very  high  hill;  and  as  they  came  to  it,  behold!  another 
man  came  there  also. 

The  stranger  said,  "  For  what  are  you  seeking?  " 

"  Alas,  my  friend,"  the  old  man  said,  "  my  child, 
whom  I  pity,  I  wish  to  give  to  Wakantanka,  the  Great 
Mystery,  and  so  I  am  seeking  him." 

"  Yes,  friend.  I  am  Wakantanka,"  said  the  man. 
"  My  friend,  give  him  to  me.  I  will  take  him  to  my 
home." 

171 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

So  when  the  father  gave  up  the  boy,  the  Great  Mys 
tery  took  him  to  a  house  that  stood  up  like  the  clouds. 
He  said,  "  Look  at  this  house  as  much  as  you  like.  Take 
good  care  of  these  horses.  But  do  not  look  into  the 
little  house  that  stands  here.'* 

Having  said  this,  he  gave  him  all  the  keys.  He 
added,  "  Yes,  have  a  watch  of  this.  Lo,  I  am  going  on 
a  journey."  He  said  this  and  went  away. 

It  was  evening;  he  came  home  with  a  great  many 
men,  who  sat  down,  filling  the  house.  When  they  had 
been  there  a  good  while  one  of  them  said,  "  The  boy 
is  good ;  that  is  enough."  Saying  this,  he  went  out.  In 
like  manner,  all  the  men  went  home. 

Then  again  Wakantanka  said,  "  Behold,  I  go  on  a 
journey.  Stay  here  and  keep  watch."  So  again  he  went 
away. 

While  the  boy  was  watching,  one  of  the  horses  said, 
"  Friend,  go  into  the  little  house  where  you  are  com 
manded  not  to  look,  and  inside  in  the  middle  of  the 
floor  stands  something  yellow.  Dip  your  head  in  that 
and  make  haste  —  we  two  are  together.  When  he 
brings  home  a  great  many  men,  they  will  eat  you,  as 
they  will  eat  me,  but  I  am  unwilling  —  we  two  shall 
share  the  same,"  he  said. 

So  the  boy  went  into  the  little  house.  In  the  middle 
of  the  floor  stood  a  round  yellow  thing  into  which  he 

172 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

'dipped  his  head.  Immediately  his  head  became  golden 
and  the  house  was  shining  and  full  of  light. 

Then  he  came  out  and  jumped  on  the  horse  that  had 
talked  to  him  and  they  fled. 

They  went  very  fast.  Now  when  they  had  gone  a 
long  way,  behold!  there  came  after  them  the  one  who 
called  himself  Wakantanka.  He  shouted,  "  You  bad 
rascals,  stop!  You  shall  not  live!  Where  will  you  go 
in  such  a  small  country  as  this?" 

Saying  this  he  came  toward  them  and  they  were 
much  frightened.  Again  he  shouted,  "  You  bad  ras 
cals,  stop !  You  shall  not  live."  And  indeed  it  seemed 
as  if  they  could  not  live. 

Then  the  horse  said,  "  Take  the  egg  you  have  and 
throw  it  behind  us."  The  boy  did  so.  At  once  the 
whole  country  became  a  sea.  He  who  followed  was 
obliged  to  stop.  He  said,  "  Alas,  my  horse,  have  mercy 
on  me  and  take  me  to  the  other  side.  If  you  do,  I  will 
value  you  very  highly." 

"  Oh,  I  am  not  willing  to  do  that,"  the  horse  replied. 
But  he  continued  to  urge.  Then  he  threw  himself 
down  from  above  the  water,  so  that  when  he  came  to  the 
middle  of  it,  he  went  down  and  both  he  and  the  horse 
were  drowned.  But  the  boy  passed  safely  on. 

So  he  came  to  the  dwellings  of  people  and  remained 
there.  But  from  behind  they  came  to  attack  and  fought 

173 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

with  them.  But  the  boy  turned  his  head  around,  and 
his  head  was  covered  with  gold;  also  the  horse  he  sat 
upon  was  golden,  and  those  who  came  against  him  were 
thrown  off  their  horses  and  only  a  few  remained  when 
the  battle  was  over.  Again,  when  they  returned  to  the 
attack,  he  destroyed  them  all.  So  the  boy  was  much 
thought  of  by  the  people. 


174 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 


THE  MILKY  WAY 

Cherokee 

NOW  the  Indians  had  a  corn  mill,  in  which  they 
pounded  the  corn  into  meal.     Several  morn 
ings  when  they  came  to  the  stone  in  which  the 
corn  was  pounded,  they  saw  that  some  of  the  meal  had 
been  stolen.     Therefore  they  looked  at  the  ground. 
They  found  the  tracks  of  a  dog. 

The  next  night,  the  people  watched,  and  when  the 
dog  came  from  the  north,  they  saw  him  begin  to  eat 
meal  out  of  the  stone  bowl.  Then  they  sprang  out  and 
whipped  him. 

The  dog  ran  howling  back  to  the  north,  dropping 
the  meal  from  his  mouth  as  he  ran.  Therefore  he  left 
behind  a  white  trail  where  we  now  see  the  Milky  Way. 
But  the  Cherokees  called  it  "  Where-the-dog-ran." 


175 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


COYOTE  AND  GRAY  FOX 

Ponca 

GRAY    FOX    was    very    fat.      Coyote    said, 
"  Younger  brother,  what  has  made  you  fat?  " 
"  Elder  brother,"  said  the  Gray  Fox,  "  I  lie 
down  on  the  trail  in  the  way  of  those  who  carry  crack 
ers,  and  I  pretend  to  be  dead.    When  they  throw  me  in 
the  wagon,  I  lie  there,  kicking  the  crackers  out.    Then 
I  leap  out  and  start  home  eating.     It  is  the  crackers 
which  make  me  fat.    Elder  brother,  I  wish  you  would 
do  likewise.     Elder  brother,  you  have  large  feet,  so 
I  think  will  knock  out  a  great  many  crackers." 

Coyote  went  to  the  place  and  lay  down  in  the  trail. 
When  the  white  man  came  along,  he  threw  Coyote  into 
the  wagon.  The  white  man  thought,  "  It  is  not  the 
first  time  he  has  acted  in  this  way,"  so  he  tied  the  feet 
of  Coyote.  Having  put  the  Coyote  in  the  wagon,  the 
white  man  went  to  his  house.  He  threw  Coyote  out 
near  an  old  outhouse.  Then  the  white  man  brought  a 
knife,  and  cut  the  cords  which  bound  Coyote's  feet.  He 
acted  as  if  Coyote  was  dead,  so  he  threw  him  over  his 
back  and  started  off  for  the  house. 

176 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

But  Coyote  managed  to  get  loose  and  ran  homeward 
He  went  back  to  get  even  with  Gray  Fox. 

"  Oh,  younger  brother,"  said  Coyote,  "  you  have 
made  me  suffer." 

"  You  yourself  are  to  blame,"  said  Gray  Fox.  "  Be 
silent  and  listen  to  me.  You  brought  the  trouble 
on  yourself  as  you  lay  down  in  the  place  where  the 
white  man  came  with  his  load  of  goods." 

"  Oh,  younger  brother,  you  tell  the  truth,"  said 
Coyote.  But  Gray  Fox  had  tempted  him. 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


ICTINIKE  AND  THE  TURTLE 

Omaha 

ICTINIKE  was  journeying.  When  he  came  in 
sight  at  a  bend  of  a  stream,  Big  Turtle  was  sitting 
there  in  a  sheltered  place  warmed  by  the  sun. 
Ictinike  drew  himself  back  out  of  sight,  crouching  at 
intervals  as  he  retraced  his  steps,  and  ran  down  the 
hill  to  where  Big  Turtle  was. 

"  Why!  How  is  it  that  you  continue  to  pay  no  atten 
tion  to  what  is  going  on?  It  has  been  said  that  yonder 
stream  is  to  dry  up  so  that  all  the  four-footed  animals 
that  frequent  the  water  have  kept  close  to  the  deep 
water,"  said  Ictinike. 

Big  Turtle  said,  "  Why!  I  have  been  coming  here 
regularly,  but  I  have  not  heard  anything  at  all.  I 
usually  come  and  sit  in  this  place  when  the  sun  gets 
as  high  as  it  is  at  present." 

"Hurry!"  said  Ictinike,  "for  some  of  the  young 
men  died  very  soon  for  want  of  water.  The  young 
otters  died,  so  did  the  young  muskrats,  the  young  bea 
vers,  and  the  young  raccoons." 

"  Come,  let  us  go,"  said  Big  Turtle.  So  Ictinike 

178 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

departed  with  him.  As  he  accompanied  him,  Ictinike 
sought  for  a  dry  bone.  Having  found  one  that  would 
be  good  as  a  club,  Ictinike  said,  "  Friend,  go  on. 
Ming  am." 

When  he  was  alone,  Ictinike  seized  the  bone,  and 
before  long  overtook  Big  Turtle,  walking  along  beside 
him. 

"  Friend,"  said  he,  "  when  a  person  walks,  he 
stretches  his  neck  often." 

So  Big  Turtle  began  to  stretch  his  neck  very  far,  and 
he  was  walking  with  his  legs  bent  very  much.  As  he 
was  going  thus,  Ictinike  gave  him  a  hard  blow  on  the 
neck,  knocking  him  senseless,  and  he  did  not  stop  beat 
ing  him  until  he  had  killed  him. 

"  Ha,  ha!"  said  Ictinike,  as  he  carried  Big  Turtle 
away.  "  There  are  some  days  when  I  act  thus  for 
myself." 

He  kindled  a  fire  and  began  to  roast  Big  Turtle. 
Then  he  became  very  sleepy,  and  said,  "  Ho!  I  will 
sleep,  but  you,  O,  Ijaxe,  must  keep  awake.  'Big  Turtle, 
when  you  are  cooked,  you  must  say,  '  Puff! ' " 

So  he  went  to  sleep.  Now  Coyote  came  along,  very 
cautiously.  He  seized  Big  Turtle,  pulled  one  of  the 
legs  out  of  the  fire,  and  sat  there,  biting  of?  the  meat. 
When  he  had  eaten  all  the  meat  on  all  the  legs,  he 
pushed  the  bones  back  just  as  they  had  been  before, 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

arranged  the  fire  over  them,  and  left  after  putting 
everything  just  as  he  had  found  it. 

At  length  Ictinike  awoke.  He  pushed  into  the  ashes 
to  find  Big  Turtle,  took  hold  of  a  leg,  and  pulled  it 
out  Only  that  leg  came  out.  "  Pshaw ! "  said  he. 
Then  he  tried  another  leg,  with  a  like  result,  and  still 
another,  but  only  the  bones  appeared.  When  he  had 
pulled  out  the  fourth  leg,  he  was  astonished.  All  at 
once  he  exclaimed,  "  Surprising!  I  had  already  eaten 
the  Turtle,  but  I  had  forgotten  it." 


180 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 


ICTINIKE  AND  THE  CREATORS 

Omaha 

ICTINIKE  married  and  dwelt  in  a  lodge.  One 
day  he  said  to  his  wife,  "Hand  me  that  tobacco 
pouch.  I  must  go  visit  your  grandfather,  Beaver." 
So  he  departed. 

As  he  was  entering  Beaver's  lodge,  Beaver  said,  "  Ho, 
pass  around  to  one  side."  And  they  seated  Ictinike  on 
a  pillow.  Beaver's  wife  said,  "  We  have  been  without 
food.  How  can  we  give  your  grandfather  anything  to 
eat?  "  Now  Beaver  had  four  young  ones. 

The  youngest  Beaver  said,  "  Father,  let  me  serve 
for  food."  So  the  youngest  Beaver  served  for  food. 
Beaver's  wife  therefore  gave  some  of  the  meat  to 
Ictinike,  who  ate  it.  But  before  letting  him  eat  it, 
Beaver  said  to  him,  "  Be  careful  lest  you  break  even 
a  single  bone  by  biting!  Do  not  break  a  bone! "  Yet 
Ictinike  broke  one  of  the  toe  bones. 

After  the  meal,  Beaver  gathered  the  bones,  put  them 
in  a  skin,  and  plunged  them  beneath  the  water.  In  a 
moment  the  youngest  Beaver  came  up  from  the  water, 

alive  again. 

181 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

When  the  father  said,  "  Is  all  right?  "  the  son  said, 
"  Father,  he  broke  one  of  my  toes  by  biting."  There 
fore,  from  that  time,  every  beaver  has  had  one  little 
toe  (the  next  to  the  little  one),  which  has  seemingly 
been  split  by  biting. 

When  Ictinike  was  about  to  go  home,  he  pretended 
he  had  forgotten  about  his  tobacco  pouch,  which  he 
left  behind.  So  Beaver  said  to  one  of  the  children, 
"  Take  that  to  him.  Do  not  go  near  him,  but  throw  it 
to  him  when  you  are  at  a  great  distance  from  him,  as 
he  is  always  very  talkative." 

Then  the  child  took  the  tobacco  pouch  and  started 
after  Ictinike.  After  getting  in  sight  of  the  latter, 
Little  Beaver  was  about  to  throw  the  pouch,  when 
standing  at  a  great  distance;  but  Ictinike  called  to 
him,  "Come  closer!  come  closer!"  When  young 
Beaver  took  the  pouch  closer,  Ictinike  said,  "  Tell  your 
father  that  he  is  to  visit  me." 

When  young  Beaver  reached  home,  he  said,  "  Oh, 
father,  he  said  you  were  to  visit  him." 

Beaver  replied,  "  As  I  feared  that  very  thing,  I  said 
to  you,  c  Throw  it  to  him  while  standing  at  a  great  dis 
tance  from  him.' " 

Then  Beaver  went  to  visit  Ictinike.  When  he  arrived 
there,  Ictinike  wished  to  kill  one  of  his  own  children, 
as  Beaver  had  done,  and  was  making  him  cry  by  hitting 

182 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

him  often.  Beaver  was  unwilling  for  him  to  act  thus, 
so  he  said,  "  Let  him  alone!  You  are  hurting  him!  " 
Then  Beaver  went  to  the  stream  where  he  found  a 
young  beaver  that  he  took  back  to  the  lodge,  and  they 
ate  it. 

On  another  day,  Ictinike  said  to  his  wife,  "  Hand  me 
that  tobacco  pouch.  I  must  go  call  on  your  grand 
father,  Muskrat."  So  he  departed.  As  he  was  enter 
ing  Muskrat's  lodge,  the  host  said,  "  Ho,  pass  around  to 
one  side."  And  Ictinike  was  seated  on  a  pillow. 

Muskrat's  wife  said,  "  We  have  been  without  food. 
How  can  we  give  your  grandfather  anything  to  eat?  " 

Muskrat  said,  "  Fetch  some  water." 

The  woman  brought  the  water.  He  told  her  to  put 
it  in  the  kettle  and  hang  the  kettle  over  the  fire.  When 
the  water  was  boiling  very  fast,  the  husband  upset  the 
kettle,  and  instead  of  water,  out  came  wild  rice!  So 
Ictinike  ate  the  wild  rice. 

When  Ictinike  departed  he  left  his  tobacco  pouch, 
as  before.  Then  Muskrat  called  one  of  his  children, 
and  said,  "Take  that  to  him.  Do  not  go  near  him! 
Throw  it  to  him  when  you  are  a  great  distance  from 
him,  as  he  is  always  very  talkative." 

So  the  child  took  the  tobacco  pouch  to  return  it  to 
Ictinike.  When  he  was  about  to  throw  it  to  him,  he 
said,  "  Come  closer!  Come  closer!  "  When  the  child 

183 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

took  the  pouch  closer,  Ictinike  said,  "  Tell  your  father 
he  is  to  visit  me." 

When  the  young  Muskrat  reached  home,  he  said, 
"  Oh,  father,  he  said  that  you  were  to  visit  him."  Musk- 
rat  replied,  "  As  I  feared  that  very  thing,  I  said  to  you, 
'  Throw  it  to  him  while  standing  at  a  great  distance 
from  him.7  " 

Then  Muskrat  went  to  see  Ictinike.  And  Ictinike 
said  to  his  wife,  "  Fetch  water."  The  woman  went  after 
water.  She  filled  the  kettle  and  hung  it  over  the  fire 
until  it  boiled.  When  Ictinike  upset  the  kettle,  only 
water  came  out.  Ictinike  wished  to  do  just  as  Muskrat 
had  done,  but  he  was  unable.  Then  Muskrat  had  the 
kettle  refilled,  and  when  the  water  boiled  he  upset  it, 
and  an  abundance  of  wild  rice  was  there,  which  he 
gave  to  Ictinike.  Thereupon  Muskrat  departed,  leav 
ing  plenty  of  wild  rice. 

On  another  day,  Ictinike  said  to  his  wife,  "  I  am 
going  to  see  your  grandfather,  Kingfisher."  When  he 
arrived  there,  Kingfisher  stepped  on  a  bough  of  a  large 
white  willow,  bending  it  down  so  far  that  it  was  hori 
zontal;  and  he  dived  from  it  into  the  water.  He  came 
up  with  a  fish,  which  he  gave  to  Ictinike  to  eat.  And 
as  Ictinike  was  starting  home,  he  left  one  of  his  gloves, 
pretending  he  had  forgotten  it.  So  Kingfisher  directed 
one  of  his  boys  to  take  the  glove  and  restore  it  to  the 

184 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

owner.  But  he  charged  the  boy  not  to  go  near  him, 
as  Ictinike  was  very  talkative  and  might  detain  him 
too  long.  Just  as  the  boy  was  about  to  throw  the  glove, 
Ictinike  called,  "  Come  closer!  Come  closer! "  So  the 
boy  carried  the  glove  closer.  And  Ictinike  said,  "  Tell 
your  father  that  he  is  to  visit  me." 

The  boy  said  to  his  father,  when  he  reached  home, 
"  Oh,  father,  he  said  you  were  to  visit  him."  King 
fisher  replied,  "  As  I  feared  that  very  thing,  I  said 
1  Throw  it  to  him  while  you  stand  at  a  great  distance 
from  him.7 ' 

Then  Kingfisher  went  to  see  Ictinike.  When  he 
arrived  there,  the  host  climbed  upon  a  bough  of  a  large 
white  willow,  bending  it  until  it  was  horizontal.  Then 
he  leaped  from  it  and  plunged  into  the  water.  It  was 
with  great  difficulty  that  Kingfisher  seized  him  and 
brought  him  to  land.  Ictinike  had  swallowed  more  of 
the  water  than  he  liked.  Then  Kingfisher  plunged  into 
the  stream,  brought  up  a  fish,  which  he  gave  to  Ictinike. 
But  Kingfisher  departed  without  eating  any  portion 
of  it. 


185 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


HOW  BIG  TURTLE  WENT  ON  THE 
WARPATH 

Omaha 

THE  people  dwelt  in  a  very  populous  village. 
Big  Turtle  joined  them.  And  people  dwelling 
at  another  village  came  regularly  to  war 
against  them.  Having  killed  one  person  they  went 
homeward.  Big  Turtle  cooked  for  the  warpath.  He 
caused  two  persons  to  go  after  guests.  The  servants 
whom  he  sent  after  guests  were  Redbreasted  Turtle  and 
Gray  Squirrel.  He  made  two  round  bunches  of  grass 
and  placed  them  at  the  bottom  of  the  stick  to  which  the 
kettle  was  fastened. 

Now  they  were  coming.    They  came  in  sight. 

"  Ho,  warriors !  "  said  Big  Turtle.  "  Warriors,  when 
men  are  injured,  they  always  take  revenge.  I  cook  this 
for  the  warpath.  I  cook  sweet  corn  and  a  buffalo 
paunch.  You  will  go  after  Corn  Crusher  for  me,"  say 
ing  this  to  his  servants.  "  Call  to  Comb,  Awl,  Pestle, 
Firebrand,  and  Buffalo  Bladder  also,"  said  Big  Turtle. 

The  two  men  went  to  call  them.  They  called  to 
Corn  Crusher.  "  Corn  Crusher,  be  sure  to  bring  your 

186 


if 
>-r' 


ri r: 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


I 


HOW  BIG  TURTI. 
WAR 


r~|-"VHE  peop!       3j 

at    a  no  in 
against  them.     K 


and  placed  them  a 
kettle  was  fastene(      2i 


C/D 


Now  they  \vere  con  "rr  g 
u  Ho,  warriors! 


men  are  injured, 

[^j 

for  the  warpath.  I  cool 
paunch.  You  will  go  afte 
mg  this  to  his  servants. 
Firebrand,  and  Buffalo  Bl 
The  two  men  went  to 
Com  Crusher  "Corn 


8 


u 

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8 

|d 

f\   populous 

village. 

£ 

HH 

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cibreasted  Turtle  and 
and  hunches  of  grass 
the  stick  to  which  the 

.    me  in  sight 


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rn  and  a  buffalo 


I  N 

$4ir 

^  fc  "2 

^  *  "g     usher  for  me,"  say- 

|'|1    Comb,  Awl,  Pestle, 
|K|r4iso,"  said  Big  Turtle. 

•8  ^  ^  m. 
^  .5  "§ 

H  ^      sure  to  bri 

1 86 


§    s 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

bowl!  Corn  Crusher,  be  sure  to  bring  your  bowll 
Corn  Crusher,  be  sure  to  bring  your  bowl!  Corn 
Crusher,  be  sure  to  bring  your  bowl !  "  Four  times  they 
called. 

They  called  to  Comb.  "  Comb,  be  sure  to  bring  your 
bowl !  "  So  they  called  four  times. 

They  called  to  Awl.  "  Awl,  be  sure  to  bring  your 
bowl!  "  So  they  called  four  times. 

Then  they  called  to  Pestle.  "  Pestle,  be  sure  to  bring 
your  bowl!  "  So  they  called  four  times. 

They  called  to  Firebrand,  too.  "  Firebrand,  be 
sure  to  bring  your  bowl! "  So  they  called  four  times. 

Then  they  called  to  Buffalo  Bladder.  "  Buffalo 
Bladder,  be  sure  to  bring  your  bowl!  "  So  they  called 
four  times  to  him. 

Then  the  criers  reached  home,  having  invited  the 
guests. 

"  Oh,  war  chief ,"  they  said,  "  all  heard  it." 

All  those  who  were  called  arrived  at  the  lodge  of 
Big  Turtle. 

"  Ho!  Oh,  war  chiefs!  Corn  Crusher,  Comb,  Awl, 
Pestle,  Firebrand,  and  Buffalo  Bladder,  though  those 
people  have  been  injured  they  do  not  seem  to  stir.  Let 
us  go  on  the  warpath  for  them,"  said  Big  Turtle.  "  Let 
us  go  in  four  nights." 

He  commanded  Corn  Crusher  to  cook.  "O  war 

187 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

chief,  Corn  Crusher,  you  will  cook.  And  you,  O 
Comb,  will  cook  on  the  night  after  that.  And  you,  O 
Awl,  will  cook,  and  complete  the  number." 

That  many  war  chiefs,  four,  cooked.  They  were 
war  chiefs.  The  rest  were  servants. 

The  people  of  the  village  said,  "  Why!  Of  the  per 
sons  who  have  been  called,  who  is  cooking  for  the  war 
path?" 

And  one  said,  "  Why!  Big  Turtle  cooked.  Pshaw! 
Has  he  gathered  all  those  who  cannot  move  well 
enough,  those  who  cannot  move  fast  enough? 
Pshaw!  If  the  foe  find  them  out,  they  will  destroy 
them.  When  a  war  chief  has  sense,  he  will  carry  on 


war." 


Corn  Crusher  cooked.  He  cooked  turnips,  and  he 
cooked  a  buffalo  paunch  with  them,  just  as  Big  Turtle 
had  cooked  one  with  sweet  corn.  Awl  cooked  wild 
rice.  Comb  cooked  other  things. 

Big  Turtle  said,  "  Time  enough  has  passed.  Let  us 
go  at  night." 

So  they  departed.  Big  Turtle  made  leggings  with 
large  flaps.  He  tied  short  garters  around  them.  He 
rubbed  earth  on  his  face  and  he  reddened  it.  He  wore 
grass  around  his  head.  He  put  white  feathers  on  top 
of  his  head.  He  took  his  gourd  rattle  thus.  He  rattled 
it.  He  sang  the  song  of  the  war  chief: 

1 88 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

"  Big  Turtle  is  coming  back  from  touching  the  foe, 
it  is  said,  you  say.  He  is  coming  back  from  touching." 

He  walked,  stepping  very  lively  in  the  dance.  He 
walked  around  them.  As  they  went,  it  was  day. 

At  length  a  young  Buffalo  Bull  came.  "  Warriors, 
wait  for  him,"  said  Big  Turtle. 

He  said  to  Buffalo  Bull,  "  While  I  walk  on  a  journey, 
I  am  in  a  great  hurry.  Speak  rapidly.  Why  are  you 
walking?  " 

"  Yes,  war  chief,  it  is  so.  As  they  have  told  of  you 
while  you  have  been  walking,  I  thought  that  I  would 
walk  there  with  you,  and  I  have  sought  you,"  said 
Buffalo  Bull. 

"  Do  so,"  said  Big  Turtle.     "  I  wish  to  see  your 


movements." 


Buffalo  Bull  rolled  himself  back  and  forth.  He 
arose  suddenly.  He  thrust  repeatedly  at  the  ground 
with  his  horns.  He  pierced  the  ground  and  threw 
pieces  away  suddenly.  He  stood  with  his  tail  in  the 
air  and  its  tip  bent  downward.  An  ash  tree  stood  there. 
He  rushed  on  it.  Pushing  against  it,  he  sent  it  flying 
through  the  air  to  a  great  distance. 

"  O  war  chief,  I  think  I  will  do  that,  if  they  speak 
of  vexing  me,"  he  said. 

"  Look  at  the  persons  with  whom  I  am  traveling. 
There  are  none  who  are  faint-hearted  in  the  least 

189 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

degree.  You  are  not  at  all  like  them.  You  have  disap 
pointed  me.  Come,  begone,"  said  Big  Turtle. 

Again  Big  Turtle  sang  the  song.  "  Big  Turtle  is 
coming  back  from  touching  the  foe,  it  is  said,  you  say. 
He  is  coming  back  from  touching,"  said  he. 

Again  they  departed.     "Warriors,  pass  on!"  said 

he. 

There  before  them   lay  a  stream,   which  was  not 

small.  They  crossed  it.  Firebrand  was  ahead,  walk 
ing  with  a  great  effort.  At  length,  because  he  was 
weary,  he  plunged  into  the  water  and  was  extinguished. 

"  O  war  chief,  I  am  not  going  beyond  here  with 
you,"  he  said. 

"  Remain  here  for  a  while,"  said  Big  Turtle. 

Having  reached  the  other  side,  they  departed.  At 
length  a  Puma  came. 

"  Warriors,  wait  for  him.  I  suspect  what  he  will  say. 
Stand  in  a  row,"  said  he.  "  Speak  quickly,"  he  said, 
addressing  Puma. 

"  Yes,  O  war  chief,"  said  Puma.  "  It  was  told  of  you 
regularly,  saying  you  walked  on  a  journey.  And  there 
I  wish  to  walk,  so  I  have  sought  you." 

"  Yes?  "  said  Big  Turtle.    "  Let  me  see  your  ways." 

Puma  made  his  hair  bristle  up  all  over  his  body. 
He  bent  his  tail  backward  and  upward.  He  went  leap 
ing  to  the  bottom  of  a  small  hill.  Having  caught  by  the 

190 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

throat  a  fawn,  about  two  years  old,  he  came  back,  mak 
ing  it  cry  out  as  he  held  it  in  his  teeth. 

"  I  think  I  will  do  that,  O  war  chief,  if  anything 
threatens  to  vex  me,"  he  said. 

"  Do  something  else,"  said  Big  Turtle. 

"  No,  O  war  chief;  that  is  all,"  said  Puma. 

"  You  have  disappointed  me,"  said  Big  Turtle. 
"  Look  at  these  persons  with  whom  I  am.  Where  is 
one  who  is  imperfect?  You  are  very  inferior.  Come, 
depart.  You  have  disappointed  me." 

They  departed.  At  length  when  they  reached  the 
foot  of  a  hill,  Black  Bear  came. 

"  O  war  chief,  again  one  has  come,"  said  the 
warriors. 

"  I  suspect  what  he  will  say,  warriors.  Wait  for 
him.  Stand  in  a  row,"  said  Big  Turtle.  "  Ho,"  he 
said,  addressing  Black  Bear.  "  Come,  speak  quickly. 
What  is  your  business?  When  I  walk  on  a  journey,  I 
am  in  a  great  hurry,"  said  Big  Turtle. 

"  Yes,  O  warrior,  it  is  so.  It  was  told  of  you  regu 
larly  that  you  walked  on  a  journey.  And  as  I  desired  to 
walk  there,  I  have  sought  you  diligently,"  said  Black 
Bear. 

"  Ho!  Do  something,"  said  Big  Turtle.  "  You  may 
have  thought  how  you  would  do  it.  I  wish  to  see  your 
ways." 

191 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

Black  Bear  pierced  the  ground  with  his  claws,  and 
threw  lumps  of  earth  to  a  great  distance.  And  there 
stood  an  oak  tree  which  had  been  blackened  by  fire. 
He  attacked  it.  Having  hugged  it,  he  threw  it  with 
force  to  a  great  distance. 

"  O  war  chief,  if  anything  vexes  me,  I  think  I  will 
do  that,"  said  Black  Bear. 

Big  Turtle  said,  "Ho!  warrior,  you  have  disap 
pointed  me.  These  persons  with  whom  I  am  —  look 
at  them.  There  is  none  who  is  faint-hearted  in  the 
least  degree.  You  have  disappointed  me.  Come, 
depart.  Thus  do  I  regularly  send  off  the  inferior 
ones." 

They  went  into  a  dense  undergrowth.  At  length 
Buffalo  Bladder  was  torn  open,  making  the  sound, 
"  Qu'e."  "  Alas!  I  am  not  going  beyond  with  you," 
said  he. 

"  Ho,  warrior.  I  will  come  back  very  soon.  Remain 
here  for  a  while,"  said  Big  Turtle. 

Again  they  departed.  As  they  went,  they  reached  a 
bad  path.  Very  high  logs  were  lying  across  it.  Red- 
breasted  Turtle  failed  to  step  over  them. 

"  Ho,  O  war  chief,"  he  said.  "  I  am  not  going 
beyond  here  with  you." 

"  Ho,  warrior.  I  will  come  again  very  soon.  Re 
main  here  for  a  while,"  said  Big  Turtle. 

iga 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

Again  they  departed.  As  they  went,  behold,  a  Big 
Wolf  came. 

"  O  war  chief,  again  one  has  come,"  said  they. 

"  I  suspect  what  he  will  say,  warriors.  Wait  for  him. 
Stand  in  a  row,"  said  Big  Turtle. 

"  Ho,"  he  said,  addressing  Wolf,  "  Come,  speak 
quickly,  whatever  may  be  your  business.  When  I  walk 
on  a  journey,  I  am  in  a  very  great  hurry." 

"  Yes,  O  war  chief.  It  is  so.  It  was  told  of  you  regu 
larly,  saying  that  you  walked  on  a  journey;  and  as  I 
desired  to  walk  there,  I  have  sought  you,"  said  Wolf. 

"  Ho!  Show  me  what  you  can  do,"  said  Big  Turtle. 
"  You  may  have  been  thinking  about  it.  I  wish  to  see 
your  ways." 

Wolf  decorated  himself.  He  reddened  his  nose;  he 
reddened  all  his  feet.  He  tied  eagle  feathers  to  his 
back. 

"  Well,  do  so.  Do  so.  I  wish  to  see  your  ways,"  said 
Big  Turtle. 

Wolf  turned  himself  round  and  round.  He  went  to 
the  attack  by  the  wood  on  a  small  creek.  He  killed  a 
deer.  He  brought  it  back,  holding  it  with  his  teeth. 

"  O  war  chief,  I  think  I  will  do  that,  if  anything 
vexes  me,"  said  Wolf. 

"  You  have  disappointed  me,"  said  Big  Turtle.  "  See 
these  people  with  whom  I  travel.  There  is  none  who  is 

193 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

faint-hearted  in  the  least  degree.  Come,  depart.  Thus 
do  I  regularly  send  off  the  inferior  ones. 

"  Warrior  Gray  Squirrel,  go  as  a  scout,"  said  Big 
Turtle.  Gray  Squirrel  went  as  a  scout.  At  length  he 
was  coming  back,  blowing  a  horn. 

"  Ho,  war  chief,  he  is  coming  back  to  you,"  they  said. 
Big  Turtle  went  there.  "  Ho,  warrior.  Act  very 
honestly.  Tell  me  just  how  it  is,"  said  Big  Turtle. 

"  Yes,  O  war  chief,  it  is  just  so.  I  have  been  there 
without  their  finding  me  out  at  all,"  said  he. 

"  Let  us  sit  at  the  very  boundary  of  their  camp,"  said 
Big  Turtle.  He  spoke  of  going.  "  Warriors,  I  will 
look  around  to  see  how  things  are,  and  how  many  per 
sons  there  may  be  there,"  he  said. 

He  came  back.  "Warriors,  let  us  go  in  that  direc 
tion.  This  far  is  a  good  place  for  sitting,"  he  said. 
So  they  moved  forward.  Then  he  said,  "  O  war  chief 
Corn  Crusher,  go  to  the  end  lodge  of  the  village  be 
fore  us,  and  sit  on  the  outside." 

Corn  Crusher  did  so.  A  woman  came  out  of  the 
lodge.  When  she  saw  him,  she  said,  "  Oh !  Heretofore 
have  I  desired  mush.  I  have  found  for  myself  an  excel 
lent  corn  crusher."  But  when  she  pounded  on  the  corn 
with  it,  she  hurt  her  hand.  Then  she  threw  it  out. 
"Bad  Corn  Crusher!"  she  said. 

He  came  back  to  Big  Turtle,  who  was  near.  !<  He 

194 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

whom  you  call  '  Corn  Crusher '  has  come  back,"  he 
"  having  killed  one  right  at  the  lodge." 

Big  Turtle  said,  "  O  war  chief  Comb,  make  an 
attempt.  Sit  in  the  door  of  the  lodge  where  Corn 
Crusher  sat." 

Comb  did  so.  He  was  very  handsome.  Then  a 
woman  came  out  of  the  lodge.  She  found  Comb. 
"  Heretofore  I  have  been  without  a  comb.  I  have 
found  a  good  comb  for  myself,"  she  said.  Very  soon 
she  combed  her  hair  with  it.  Comb  pulled  out  all  the 
hair  on  one  side  by  the  roots. 

She  said,  "  A  very  bad  comb,  but  I  thought  it  was 
good."  She  threw  him  away  at  the  door.  Then  he 
went  back.  He  went  back  with  the  hair  he  had  pulled 
out. 

"  He  whom  you  call  *  Comb,' "  he  said,  "  has  come 
back,  having  snatched  all  the  hair  from  one  at  the 
lodge." 

"  Good !  "  said  Turtle.  "  O  war  chief,  when  we  reach 
home,  we  shall  cause  the  women  to  dance." 

Then  Big  Turtle  said,  "  O  war  chief  Awl,  make  an 
attempt.  Go  sit  in  the  door  of  the  lodge  where  war 
chief  Comb  sat." 

Awl  was  very  handsome.  He  was  very  good  to  look 
at.  He  sat  in  the  door  of  the  lodge.  A  woman  passing 
out,  found  him.  "  Oh!  I  have  found  a  good  awl  for 

195 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

myself,"  she  said.  "  Heretofore  I  have  had  no  awl. 
It  makes  me  thankful."  She  went  back  to  the  lodge 
with  him.  She  spoke  of  sewing  her  moccasins  with 
him.  "  I  will  sew  my  moccasins  with  it,"  she  said. 
She  sewed  them.  She  pierced  her  fingers  with  him. 
She  missed  in  pushing  him,  sending  him  with  force. 
There  was  much  blood  from  her  fingers.  She  threw 
him  away  at  the  door.  "  The  awl  is  indeed  bad.  I 
have  indeed  hurt  myself.  I  have  wounded  myself 
badly."  She  threw  him  far  out  from  the  door,  sending 
him  homeward. 

"  He  whom  you  have  called  '  Awl,'  O  war  chief,  " 
he  reported,  returning  to  Big  Turtle.  "  I  stabbed  one 
right  at  the  lodge;  I  killed  her."  He  returned  with  his 
spear  very  bloody. 

"  O  war  chief,"  said  the  others  to  Big  Turtle.  "  Awl 
is  coming  back,  telling  his  own  name.  He  has  killed 


one." 


Big  Turtle  said,  "  Ho!  O  war  chief.  You  make  me 
thankful.  Since  it  is  you,  I  will  blacken  my  face.  The 
village  shall  be  joyful.  Ho!  O  Pestle,  make  an 
attempt.  You  will  lie  in  the  door  of  the  lodge  where 
Awl  lay." 

Now  Pestle  was  very  handsome.  Then  he  arrived 
there.  He  lay  where  he  was  commanded  to  lie.  A 
woman  went  out  and  found  Pestle.  "  Oh !  I  have 

196 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

found  a  very  good  pestle  for  myself.  I  had  no  pestle 
heretofore,"  she  said. 

She  took  him  back  to  the  lodge.  She  took  some  corn. 
She  filled  the  mortar  and  pounded  the  corn.  She  beat 
it  fine.  She  thrust  Pestle  beyond,  right  on  her  knee. 
She  missed  the  mark  in  pushing,  sending  him  with 
force,  and  so  she  struck  him  on  her  knee. 

"  Oh!  A  very  bad  pestle,"  she  said.  She  threw  him 
outside,  sending  him  homeward  suddenly. 

"  You  have  been  used  to  saying  '  Pestle.'  He  is  com 
ing,  having  stabbed  one  right  at  the  lodge.  He  has 
killed  one,"  said  Pestle,  returning.  He  reached  Big 
Turtle  again.  "  O  war  chief,  I  have  killed  one." 

"  You  make  me  thankful,"  said  Big  Turtle.  "  Ho! 
warrior  Gray  Squirrel,  make  an  attempt." 

"  O  war  chief,  how  can  I  do  anything?  "  said  Gray 
Squirrel.  Now  the  lodges  were  placed  among  the  trees, 

"  You  will  pass  along  the  trees  above  the  smoke 
holes  of  the  lodges.  If  they  find  you,  they  will  shoot  at 
you.  Do  your  best.  Do  your  best  to  evade  the  blows 
or  arrows.  If  one  goes  aside,  rush  on  him,"  said  Big 
Turtle. 

At  length  a  boy  found  Gray  Squirrel.  "  This  mov 
ing  one  is  a  gray  squirrel,"  he  said.  They  went  in 
a  great  uproar.  They  shot  at  him.  They  even  hit 
him  with  sticks.  One  boy  stood  aside.  Gray  Squirrel 

197 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

attacked  him  and  bit  him.  They  said,  "  Wonderful ! 
Heretofore  the  gray  squirrel  has  been  very  easy  to 
approach,  but  we  have  failed.  He  has  bitten  us;  we 
have  done  nothing  to  him,"  they  said. 

"  He  whom  you  used  to  call '  Gray  Squirrel '  is  com 
ing  back,  having  killed  one  right  among  them,"  he 
called.  He  told  it  to  Big  Turtle. 

"Ho!  real  warrior,  act  very  honestly,"  said  Big 
Turtle. 

"  O  war  chief,  it  is  just  so.  I  have  killed  one,"  said 
he. 

"Ho!  warrior,  you  make  me  thankful,"  said  Big 
Turtle. 

"  Ho!  warriors,"  said  Big  Turtle  again.  "  I,  even  I, 
will  make  a  trial.  I  shall  not  come  back  for  some  time. 
Beware  lest  you  go  homeward.  Beware  lest  you  leave 
me  and  go  homeward." 

He  arrived  there.  Some  ashes  had  been  poured  out. 
They  were  extinguished.  At  length  Big  Turtle  pushed 
his  way  through.  He  went  within.  He  sat  within, 
with  his  eyes  sticking  out,  looking  around.  A  woman 
approached  when  it  was  morning.  She  stood  very  close 
to  where  Big  Turtle  sat. 

"  You  will  tread  on  my  shield,"  he  said.  The  woman 
looked  around.  "  From  what  place  does  he  speak?  " 
she  thought;  therefore  she  looked  around.  Again  he 

198 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

said  to  her,  "  You  will  tread  on  my  shield.  Stand 
further  away."  And  the  woman  found  him. 

"Oh!  "she  said. 

"  Stand  still.  I  send  you  with  a  message,"  said  Big 
Turtle.  "  Go  home  and  say,  '  Big  Turtle  says  he  has 
come  to  war.  He  says  he  has  come  desiring  the  chief's 
daughter,  whose  body  has  been  placed  on  the  bough  of 
a  tree.' " 

The  people  came.  All  the  people  said,  "  Break  in  his 
skull  suddenly."  He  said,  "  How  is  it  possible  for  you 
to  break  in  my  skull  suddenly?  If  you  let  your  weapons 
slip  off  suddenly  from  me  each  time,  you  will  break 
your  legs  with  the  blows." 

They  said,  "  When  the  water  is  hot,  it  will  be  good 
to  put  him  in  it." 

"  Fie!"  said  Big  Turtle.  "When  the  water  is  hot 
and  I  scatter  it  with  kicking,  many  of  you  will  be 
scalded  to  death." 

"  He  tells  what  is  probably  true,"  they  said. 

"  And  if  it  be  so,  it  is  good  to  burn  him,"  said  the 
people. 

"  For  shame!  If  I  scatter  the  fire  by  kicking,  I  will 
cause  all  the  land  to  blaze.  Beware  lest  many  of  your 
children,  too,  die  from  the  fire,"  he  said. 

"  He  tells  what  is  probably  true,"  they  said. 

A  child  begged  for  water.  "  O  mother,  some  water," 

199 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

it  said.    Big  Turtle  said,  "  Oh/  "    He  tempted  them 
with  reference  to  water. 

"  Cause  the  child  to  ask  for  water,"  said  one. 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  that?  "  said  others. 

"  When  the  child  said,  '  O  mother,  some  water/  this 
one,  Big  Turtle,  said  '  Oh/ ' "  answered  one. 

"  Wonderful  1 "  they  said.  "  He  is  fearing  the  sight 
of  water."  They  took  him  to  the  water,  holding  him 
by  the  tail.  Notwithstanding  Big  Turtle  clung  to  the 
ground  with  his  forelegs,  they  held  his  tail,  and  reached 
the  water  with  him.  They  threw  him  forcibly  right 
into  the  water.  He  walked  the  water  for  a  while,  cry 
ing  a  little,  and  pretended  he  did  not  know  how  to  swim. 
He  said,  "  Wit  <wi!  <wi!  " 

"Wonderful!  Throw  him  out  into  the  middle  of 
the  stream,"  they  said.  Again  they  sent  him  headlong. 
He  was  wandering  around.  At  length  he  sank.  They 
said,  "  He  is  dead,"  and  went  homeward.  "  You 
should  have  done  that  to  him  at  first,"  said  the  people. 

When  the  people  went  homeward,  some  boys  stood 
there.  Big  Turtle  approached,  floating.  He  came 
peeping.  Some  boys  stood  looking  at  the  place  where 
the  deed  was  done. 

Big  Turtle  said,  "When  Big  Turtle  came  in  the 
past  to  war  on  you,  you  said  that  you  killed  him.  Look 
here  at  me." 

200 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

The  boys  went  homeward  to  tell  it.  "  You  said  that 
you  killed  Big  Turtle,  but  as  this  one  behind  us  showed 
his  body,  he  laughed  at  us.  Big  Turtle  is  he  who  is 
alive." 

"  Ho!  We  attack  him,"  said  the  people.  They  at 
tacked  him.  They  arrived  there. 

"  In  what  place?  "  said  they. 

"  In  this  place,"  said  the  boys. 

"Where  is  Otter?  Where  is  Grass  Snake?  Let 
those  two  seek  him,"  said  they. 

Big  Turtle  sat  under  the  mud  at  the  bottom  of  the 
water.  Only  the  tip  of  his  nose  and  his  eyes  were  stick 
ing  out.  Snake  and  Otter  sought  him  beneath  the  water. 
They  passed  very  near  to  him,  and  stepped  regularly 
over  his  head.  When  Otter  was  about  to  pass  the 
second  time,  Big  Turtle  bit  him  in  the  stomach. 

"  Ho!  elder  brother,  you  give  me  pain,"  said  Otter. 
Big  Turtle  said,  "  Why  do  you  seek  me?  " 

"  I  did  not  seek  you.  As  I  desired  food,  we  have  met 
each  other,"  said  Otter. 

"  No,  you  wished  to  join  those  who  desire  to  kill  me, 
so  you  sought  me,"  said  Big  Turtle. 

"O  elder  brother!  O  elder  brother!  O  elder 
brother !  I  pray  to  you.  I  have  not  sought  you,"  he  said. 

"  I  will  by  no  means  let  you  go  from  my  mouth," 
said  Big  Turtle. 

201 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

"Hoi  elder  brother!  How  long  before  you  will 
open  your  mouth  and  let  me  go?  "  said  Otter. 

"  When  the  Thunder  God  has  come  back,  I  will  let 
you  go." 

"  Halloo! "  shouted  Otter  to  the  people.  "  He  will 
let  me  go  when  the  Thunder  God  comes  back.  Halloo  1 
He  bites  me  between  the  legs.  Halloo!  "  said  he. 

"  He  says  that  he  is  bitten,"  said  the  people.  "  He 
says  that  he  is  bitten  between  the  legs.  Hit  tent  skins 
for  him." 

They  made  the  tent  skins  resound  by  hitting  them. 

"Ho!  elder  brother,  the  Thunder  God  has  come 
back,"  said  Otter. 

"  They  hit  the  tent  skins,"  said  the  Big  Turtle. 

The  people  said,  "  It  is  good  to  fell  trees."  They 
began  felling  trees  here  and  there.  The  trees  said, 
"  Qwil  qwil "  as  they  fell. 

"Ho!  elder  brother,  the  Thunder  God  has  come 
back,"  said  Otter. 

"  They  are  felling  trees,"  said  Big  Turtle. 

At  length  the  Thunder  God  roared,  very  far  away. 

"  Ho !  elder  brother,  he  has  come  back,"  said  he.  Big 
Turtle  let  him  go.  Otter  was  very  thin.  He  went 
homeward.  He  reached  home  very  lean. 

"  Let  the  two  birds  drink  the  stream  dry,"  said  the 
people.  "  Bring  the  Pelicans  here." 

202 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

When  they  came,  the  people  said,  "  Drink  the  stream 
dry.  A  person  came  here  to  war  and  we  killed  him,  but 
he  is  alive.  He  laughs  heartily  at  us." 

The  birds  drank  the  stream  dry.  There  was  only  a 
very  small  quantity  left  in  which  Big  Turtle  sat. 

Big  Turtle  called,  "Ho!  warrior  Gray  Squirrel, 
be  coming  hither,  wherever  you  may  be  moving.  They 
have  almost  killed  me." 

Gray  Squirrel  was  coming  back,  crying  loud.  He 
was  coming  back  to  attack  them.  He  attacked  the  two 
birds.  He  tore  open  their  water  pouches  by  biting. 
He  bit  holes  in  them.  At  length  all  the  water  returned 
to  its  former  place.  At  the  creek  and  the  lake  it  was 
as  before;  they  were  filled  with  water. 

"  Sew  up  their  pouches  for  them,"  said  the  people. 
So  they  sewed  up  the  water  pouches  of  the  Pelicans. 
They  finished  sewing  them. 

"  Come,  drink  it  dry  again.  Do  your  best.  Beware 
lest  we  fail,"  said  the  people.  They  drank  the  stream 
dry  again.  Again  very  little  of  the  water  was  left. 

"Ho!  warrior  Gray  Squirrel,  wherever  you  may 
be  moving.  They  have  nearly  killed  me.  Be  coming 
hither  again,"  said  Big  Turtle.  He  came  back  again. 
He  bit  and  tore  the  throats  in  many  places.  It  made 
their  throats  very  bad.  He  made  them  bad  to  be  sewed 
at  alt.  It  was  difficult  to  sew  them. 

203 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

"  Yet  we  shall  fail,"  said  the  people.  "  Gray  Squir 
rel  is  abominable  1  I  think  Gray  Squirrel  is  the  only 
one  with  Big  Turtle.  I  think  he  is  the  only  one  siding 
with  them.  Therefore  we  have  failed  to  hurt  them," 
said  the  people. 

They  ceased.  When  it  was  night,  Big  Turtle  went 
back.  He  reached  his  comrades  again. 

"  Ho!  Warriors,  when  men  get  the  better  of  their 
enemies  in  a  fight,  they  usually  go  homeward.  I  sus 
pect  that  your  sisters  are  tired  of  waiting  to  dance!  " 

They  went  homeward.  He  walked  around  them,  rat 
tling  his  gourd. 

"  Warriors,  I  said  that  I  would  do  thus,  and  so  it  is," 
he  said.  He  burnt  the  grass. 

He  burnt  the  grass  so  that  they  might  think  he  was 
coming  home  after  killing  the  foe.  At  length  they 
arrived  at  the  village.  They  tied  scalps  to  a  stick. 
Then  those  in  the  village  said,  "  Yonder  come  those  who 
went  to  war!"  The  returning  warriors  raced  around 
and  around  as  victorious  warriors  do.  People  said, 
"  There  they  are  coming  home,  having  killed  the  people 
of  the  enemy." 

An  old  man  shouted :  "  Corn  Crusher  says  that  he 
killed  one.  Halloo!  He  says  he  killed  her  right  at 
the  lodge.  Halloo!  Comb  says  he  killed  one  right 
at  the  lodge.  Halloo!  Awl  says  he  killed  one  right  at 

204 


OF  THE  GREAT  PLAINS 

the  lodge.  Halloo!  Gray  Squirrel  says  that  he  killed 
three  right  in  the  midst  of  the  people.  'Halloo/  It  is 
said  they  held  the  war  chief,  Big  Turtle,  right  among 
them,  in  a  great  uproar.  Halloo!  It  is  said  they  failed 
to  injure  him.  Halloo!" 

Big  Turtle  walked  very  proudly,  carrying  his 
shield.  He  went  homeward  to  enter  the  lodge.  He  sat 
there  telling  them  about  himself.  As  people  wished  to 
hear  it,  they  continued  arriving  there. 

"Why  did  they  fail,  when  they  were  so  near  you? 
If  you  sat  very  near  them,  how  is  it  that  you  are  alive?  " 
asked  the  people. 

"  I  pretended  to  be  afraid  of  water,  so  I  am  alive," 
he  said. 

"  If  so,  then  those  over  there  have  no  eyes.  How  is  it 
that  they  did  not  find  you  when  you  were  alive?  " 

"  I  sat  in  the  ashes,  therefore  I  am  alive.  I  have 
come  home,  having  killed  people.  Why  did  you  doubt 
me?  As  you  did  not  take  vengeance  on  the  people  who 
used  to  kill  you,  I  went  to  war  on  them  myself.  I  killed 
them.  How  can  you  doubt  me?  I  will  tell  no  more 
about  myself,"  said  Big  Turtle.  "  I  have  ceased." 

THE  END 


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